Thibaut Pinot

French cyclist beloved for his emotional, all-heart racing style, who finished third overall at the 2014 Tour de France and became one of the most popular riders in the peloton despite never winning the race outright.

Born on 29 May 1990, Thibaut Pinot spent his entire 13-year professional career with a single team, riding for Française des Jeux (later Groupama-FDJ) from 2010 to 2023. Once considered one of French cycling's brightest hopes, he finished third overall at the 2014 Tour de France while also winning the young rider classification, a result that made him and countryman Jean-Christophe Péraud the first Frenchmen to finish in the top three of the Tour since Richard Virenque's 1997 runner-up finish. Pinot's career was defined as much by heartbreak as by success. He was in position to challenge for the overall Tour de France title in 2019 but was forced to abandon the race just two days before the finish in Paris after injuring his thigh — one of four withdrawals from six Tour attempts across his career. Despite this, he won stages in all three Grand Tours (three in the Tour de France, one in the Giro d'Italia, two in the Vuelta a España) and the 2018 Giro di Lombardia overall title. Pinot's emotional, heart-on-sleeve racing style — reflected in a tattoo reading 'only victory is beautiful' — made him one of the most beloved riders in the peloton, adored by a passionate fanbase known as the Collectif Ultras Pinot, even as he acknowledged in interviews that he was often more popular than successful. Pinot announced his retirement early in the 2023 season to relieve himself of pressure, and closed his career in storybook fashion at that year's Tour de France, attacking solo over the Petit Ballon in the Vosges mountains — his home region — on the penultimate stage, earning the day's combativity award before retiring to his farm to raise goats and donkeys.

Passionate, emotional climber with strong Grand Tour stage-winning ability

One of French cycling's most emotionally significant riders, celebrated for heart over results