Thibaut Pinot going through mental struggle at Tour de France: "I feel that I don't bring anything to the team"

Thibaut Pinot has in the past dealt with issues over his level in the mountains, and that self-pressure remains a factor for the Frenchman who reported such feelings once again after today's stage at the Tour de France.

"I'm bad, I'm not good, I couldn't do anything, I'm disappointed," he said in a post-race interview. Pinot had gotten himself in the day's breakaway together with Alexey Lutsenko and led the race over the first two passes. However from there on the race turned upside fown for the Groupama - FDJ rider as he cracked and wasn't able to support David Gaudu.

"I tried to give a hand to David Gaudu. I had one mini-cartridge left to get into a small group. But for me, it's really disappointing. There are a lot of things missing, I'm so far from my level," he said. "Personally, it's complicated and I feel that I don't bring anything to the team, so for me it's hard," Pinot admitted.

Having taken stage wins at the Tour of the Alps and the Tour de Suisse, the Frenchman seemed to have gotten his spark back this season, as a stage hunter and with all GC ambitions behind him at this point of his career.

So far during the Tour he rode himself into fourth place into Châtel where he was close to a winning position, and also third in Mende. Pinot is, in the eyes of most, having the form to take a win at the Tour, however the opportunity seems to have been dodged between his fingers as fatigue seems to be taking a toll.