“It’s not the hardest climb in the Giro, but it’s really long" - Thibaut Pinot previews stage 7 finale at the Giro d'Italia

Stage 7 of the 2023 Giro d'Italia sees the first mountain top finish of this year's race and Groupama - FDJ leader, Thibaut Pinot is expecting fireworks on the final climb.

“It’s not the hardest climb in the Giro, but it’s really long,” Pinot said to reporters prior to the start of the stage. “Certainly some leaders could lose some time on a climb as long as that, particularly if you’re unlucky enough to get dropped early on. If you are in poor form it could be a very hard day indeed."

Currently wearing the Maglia Ciclamino, Pinot is unsure whether to continue to focus on the battle for the King of the Mountains jersey or if he would be better served to focus on taking a crack at the general classification.“The general, the stages…we’re looking at all of this day by day,” says the Frenchman, currently sitting in 17th, 2:33 down on Andreas Leknessund. “Let’s say the GC is a goal in the first week and then we’ll look for stages.”

“We’ll only really reach a decision after the stage 9 TT because that’s a day when we could lose a lot of time," Pinot continues before referencing today's final climb. “I’ll have to be in really good form to be going for the stage, and I don’t know what will happen. I’ll fight as hard as I can for the win, but if the favourites are there, the top places on the stage will not be going cheap. With Remco and Roglič, it’s going to be hard.”