Great French cycling hope Thibaut Pinot to miss Tour de France

French cycling hope Thibaut Pinot confirmed he will miss the Tour de France next month weakened by pnuemonia contracted at the Giro d'Italia

Thibault Pinot (FDJ) was forced to abandon the Giro d'Italia in May on the evening before the last stage fevered and weakened by pneumonia.

Not wanting to jeopardise his chances in the Vuelta and the World Championships, where he believes he can do well, Pinot has confirmed he will miss argueably the biggest cycling race in the world in July.

"I resumed riding yesterday just to get on the bike and think of something else," he said from his home in eastern France, "I was riding for fun, to clear my head. The problem with this illness is that I don't know when I can return."

On the toughest stage of this year's Giro, Pinot finished third at Bardonecchia to climb onto the podium. The next day, in the final mountain stage, he struggled on the climbs, lost 20 minutes and, after the finish, went not to Rome, for the final stage, but to a local hospital for treatment.

"The Friday was one of the great moments of my career with a legendary stage," Pinot said "That evening, I climbed onto the podium. I was confident. I only had to take care of the next day."

"But on Saturday morning I knew. From the time I went to bed the previous evening, I was coughing and I only slept three or four hours. In the morning I did not feel well, feverish. I got over the first climb with the top riders, I don't know how. But on the descent, despite the heat, I felt cold."

Pinot, in agony didn't climb off and managed to finish the stage, clearly in an unwell situation, not wanting to let his fans down "That was the longest final 40km of my career," he said of his struggle to the finish with the podium place slipping from his grasp."

In the Tour de France in 2015, Pinot finished third after winning the stage to Alpe d'Huez, but in the last two editions he was forced out of the Tour, weakened by illness.

Pinot is targeting the Vuelta which starts on August 25 and a World Championships in Innsbruck, tailored for climbers, which starts on September 30.

Romain Bardet will fly the French Flag

Romain Bardet who rides AG2R La Mondiale, will no doubt give French cycling fans and the host Nation, more than something to cheer about.

Bardet won stage 12 of the 2017 Tour de France, with an acceleration near the finishing line in Peyragudes in the French Pyrenees, blasting away with less than 500 metres to go to take his third stage win in three years.

Bardet also managed to hold on to his one-second lead over Landa after completing Stage 21 to finish the Tour in third position in the final general classification, behind Chris Froome and Rigoberto Urán. Bardet thus finished in the top three in the 2017 Tour de France final general classification for the second consecutive year.

Bardet will no doubt target the yellow jersey and one or more uphill stages.

The 2018 Tour de France, the biggest cycling event in the world, starts on July 4th!

Great French cycling hope Thibaut Pinot to miss Tour de France