Thibaut Pinot finishes 2nd in stage 13 of Giro d'Italia: “I especially didn't want Cepeda to win, I wanted Rubio to win"

Thibaut Pinot and Jefferson Alexander Cepeda provided a spectacular clash for stage victory on slopes of Crans-Montana, where neither of the two celebrated in the end, as Einer Rubio took full advantage of their shenanigans and convincingly sprinted towards his first Grand Tour stage triumph.

"I just asked him to take over," Pinot began his Eurosport interview explaining his frustrated gestures towards Cepeda. “I don't understand how you can expect to win like that. Maybe he was instructed by the team leader's car, but if his excuse is that Hugh Carthy was behind him, I can't understand it."

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Pinot had to settle for second place, but regained the lead in the KOM classification. “I especially didn't want Cepeda to win, I wanted Rubio to win. I would have given anything to not let Cepeda ride away.”

The Frenchman also rises a number of places in the general classification, although he might have gained even more if the escapees had worked together on the final climb. “I hope they at least thank me for pacing the whole climb. I told my team manager that I didn't care about the standings. 'I want the stage, leave me alone.'"

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Pinot then moves up to 10th place in provisional standings, 3:13 down to Geraint Thomas, who successfully defended his pink jersey in today's shortened stage. The Frenchman is now also leading KOM classification with 10 points lead on Davide Bais.

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PREVIEW | Giro d'Italia 2023 stage 14 - Sprinter day with 20-kilometer Alpine pass to start the day