"There is suddenly a weight lifted" - Thibaut Pinot reflects on first days of professional retirement

Thibaut Pinot took on the final race of his career at Il Lombardia last Sunday. Now, a matter of days later, the 33-year-old has reflected on what was an emotional day and spoke of where he goes from here.

"There is suddenly a weight lifted, of no longer having the pressure of knowing if I am tired, if there is training the next day," says the former Il Lombardia winner on the Bartoli Time show on RMC Sport, having only managed a 37th placed finish in the final race of his career. "I feel like it's going to be easier to live with me. I think it's going to do me good."

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It's this feeling of no longer wanting to put his family through the stresses of living with an elite-level sportsman that helped Pinot make the somewhat surprising call to retire aged 33.

"When you are a high-level athlete, the whole family is involved. For them, it's a relief," he explains. As for his future, Pinot hopes to stay around the Groupama - FDJ team in some capacity. "I will go see them very soon. I spent fourteen years in this team, that's almost half of my life. Obviously, I will not I can't turn the page overnight. I hope to stay in the life of the team."

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