The Tour de France is a race of glory, grit, and sometimes… grief.
This article is part of a series exploring the most unforgettable moments of the Tour de France in recent decades—not just the victories, but the turning points, heartbreaks, and human stories that left their mark on the sport’s soul.
Few episodes capture the emotional rollercoaster of the Tour more powerfully than what happened to Thibaut Pinot in 2019. It was a moment that began in triumph and ended in tears, yet remains seared into cycling history—not for what he won, but for what was so cruelly taken away.
The rise
When the Tour hit the Pyrenees in Stage 14, Thibaut Pinot soared. He launched a devastating attack on the Col du Tourmalet, one of the Tour’s most legendary climbs, and left all his GC rivals behind. With the French crowds roaring and the finish line in sight, Pinot raised his arms in triumph.
It wasn’t just a stage win. It was a signal: he was the strongest climber in the race. For the first time in decades, France had a genuine contender for overall victory. Pinot, so often fragile and unlucky, looked unbreakable.
By the end of the Pyrenean stages, he had climbed to 5th overall, just seconds off yellow. The Alpine stages loomed, and the dream was alive.
The injury
But then came Stage 19—the Alps, the high altitude, and, inexplicably, the end.
Early in the stage, cameras showed Pinot grimacing in agony, his left leg stiff and unresponsive. He was seen talking to his team car, then dropping back from the peloton. At first, it seemed like a minor incident. Then came the shot: Pinot, crying on the bike, struggling to pedal, pulled to the roadside.
A torn muscle in his thigh, reportedly triggered by a minor impact the day before, had turned fatal to his Tour ambitions. He tried to continue, but it was futile. His face said everything.
Within moments, he stepped off the bike, collapsed into the arms of his soigneur, and abandoned the race. The team car doors closed on him—and on France’s greatest hope in years.
Why It broke us all
It wasn’t just that Pinot quit the Tour. It was when and how he quit. He had never looked stronger. The Tour was wide open. He had the legs, the form, the belief. For once, luck and Pinot seemed to be on the same team.
And then it was gone. In a single stage, a single tendon, a single twist of fate.
What made it so powerful was Pinot’s humanity. He wasn’t stoic. He didn’t hide his pain. He cried, and we cried with him. It felt like a Shakespearean fall—beautiful, dramatic, and unbearably cruel.
Not just a rider
Pinot has always been more than just a cyclist. He’s the emotional heart of the peloton. He wears his feelings on his sleeve, suffers openly, wins with wonder, and loses with despair. His 2019 withdrawal didn’t weaken his legacy—it cemented it.
It reminded fans why we watch the Tour. Not just for the winners, but for the stories. The ones that sting. The ones that live on.