Thibaut Pinot will reportedly skip the 2021 Tour de France and target the Giro d'Italia instead.

Groupama-FDJ will confirm the 2021 race program and goals at a team presentation on Tuesday. However, BFM and RMC Sport insist that Pinot will run the Giro d'Italia as he did in 2017 and 2018.

Pinot returned to the Tour in 2019 and appeared to be fighting for overall victory, but was forced to abandon the race due to a muscle injury; he was scheduled to lead Groupama-FDJ in the 2020 Tour de France, but crashed heavily on the first stage in Nice and spent the rest of the race with back He suffered back pain for the rest of the race. He started the Vuelta a España but retired after three stages due to back problems.

The 2021 Tour de France will feature two individual time trials and fewer mountain finishes than in recent years, making it more difficult for Pinot to contend for the win. The route for the Giro d'Italia has not yet been announced, but it is expected to have more mountains and fewer time trials.

Pinot finished fourth in the 2017 Corsa Rosa, but was forced to retire on stage 20 in 2018 due to illness. He has always expressed his love for Italian cycling, and a return to the Giro d'Italia appears to be a logical solution to rebuild his career after suffering in 2020.

Pinot could collide with Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) at the Giro d'Italia, and the Colombian is also eager to ride in Italy in May as he works to recover from the back injury and imbalance that forced him out of the Tour de France. Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo), Simon Yates (Bike Exchange), Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos Grenadiers), Remco Evenpole (Deceuninck-Quick Step) and Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious).

In Pinot's absence, sprinter Arnaud Demaret and talented young rider David Gaudoux will likely lead Groupama-FDJ in the Tour de France.

Demare took the points jersey at the Giro d'Italia, winning four stages, while 24-year-old Gaudou won two mountain stages at the Vuelta a España, finishing eighth overall.