“It shows that I haven’t gained too much weight”: Thibaut Pinot finishes third in a trail in Haute-Saône

On a bike or with sneakers on, Thibaut Pinot excels. This Sunday, he proved it again by finishing third in the Vosges Saônoises trail, as reported by our colleagues from France Bleu Belfort Montbéliard.

While the eyes of cycling supporters were fixed on a Liège-Bastogne-Liège won by Tadej Pogacar ahead of Romain Bardet, the former Groupama-FDJ rider was racing at home, in Fresse, a town neighboring his stronghold of Mélisey.

In great shape in his Vosges forests, Thibaut Pinot did much better than simply participating in a race of which he was the sponsor by finishing third in 1h50 behind local specialists Baptiste Domenico in 1h44 and Joris Zuliani in 1h49.

The podium for @ThibautPinot 🥉

The darling of the last Tour de France came to run the Vosges Saônoises trail in Fresse, of which he is the godfather, this Sunday April 21.

1 is 🥇Baptiste Domenico en 1h44
2nd🥈Joris Zuliani in 1:4
3rd🥉 in 1h50 pic.twitter.com/g8j7wSweVV

— France Bleu Belfort Montbéliard (@bleubelfort) April 21, 2024

“It’s the first time I ran 24km, I had no reference points,” he reacted to France Bleu Belfort Montbéliard. “It’s a lot like cycling in the effort. This is a new test for me, and it’s very hard. It’s not the same sensations as cycling but it’s really nice, there’s a good atmosphere, the weather was real Haute-Saône weather in April. This morning when I got up, I said to myself: why am I still doing this to myself? » he smiled.

Once the wake-up call was over, Pinot showed up at the starting line and performed. Enough to give him ideas for the rest of his retirement? “If I put my mind to it a little, there is a way to have fun in this discipline. I have cardio and luckily still have leftovers… It shows that I haven’t gained too much weight in six months! », laughs the 33-year-old retiree.

For its third edition, the Vosges Saônoises trail attracted a record number of runners with 350 people at the start. Should we see a Pinot effect? Émilien Clonan, organizer of the race, is convinced of this. “He’s a star, that’s for sure. Lots of people came to see him, there was even one person who called us to ask if she could sign up just to come see him… even though she didn’t want to run! “, he confided to local radio.