Thibaut Pinot (open in new tab) said the hardships of last year's Tour de France (open in new tab) only made him stronger and that he will enter this year's race with a cool head and no pressure.

Pinot suffered a still mysterious thigh injury on stage 19 of last year's Tour, forcing him to abandon the race in tears. After dominating in the Pyrenees, Pinot believed he could win the yellow jersey in the Alps and become the first French Tour winner in over 30 years.

His morale was shaken once again when he suffered pneumonia at the 2018 Giro d'Italia, putting him just one step away from a podium finish.

"My head is stronger, that's for sure. I have less pressure and I'm calmer than I was at the same point last year," he said at the Groupama-FDJ (open in new tab) pre-Tour press conference on Friday.

"I'm detached from everything and it's nice not to waste energy on managing stress. I'm pretty calm and most importantly motivated. What happened to me last year can't get any worse - or at least I hope so - and I'm not going to let it.

As for France's long-awaited successor to Bernard Inaud, the last winner of his country's 1985 Tour, Pinot, who finished third in the 2014 Tour and struggled in the next two events, now brushes off that outside pressure.

"Since 2014, I've been told repeatedly that it's now or never for the French. Now I take it with a smile. |The most negative pressure was the pressure I put on myself. I'm 30 now and the experience has made me more calm."

On a physical level, Pino believes he will never regain the form that made him shine last year.

He has not finished outside the top 10 in five stage races this year, and in his return to racing after a season hiatus, he finished fourth in the Route d'Occitanie and second in the Criterium du Dauphiné: Egan Bernal and Primos Logrich.

"The goal is to do as well as possible, just like last year. That means getting on the podium and taking the highest possible step."

"Preparation has been good. I was at the top in both Occitanie and Dauphiné. Barring any physical problems, I should be able to maintain my level for the next three weeks.

Pinot will be the sole leader of the Groupama-FDJ team. The team will be without the in-form sprinter Arnaud Demaret, but will instead be supported by David Gaudoux, Sebastian Reichenbach, and Rudy Molard for the mountains, and Stefan Küng for the flats and windy conditions.

"There are two big corps, Ineos and Jumbo Visma, and we are right behind them. In the mountains or on the plains, we have nothing to fear from them."

"We are not afraid of them,"

"We are not afraid of them.

"We will play to our strengths, but we don't need to push the race like Ineos and Jumbo. Tomorrow we have the responsibility to manage the gap and chase the breakaway.

"Running at the front all the way to protect the leaders will consume their energy. We must think tactically. The key is to get to the top in the third week so we can try different things and attack them."

"We have to be very tactical,"

"We have to be very tactical,"

Thus, despite entering the hills as early as stage 2 and facing summit finishes on stages 4 and 6, Pinot does not expect the first week to be very open and active.

"I fear the race will be like the Dauphiné. A lot can happen in three weeks, and you can't compare it to a one-week race, but I think the first week of the Tour is pretty controlled."

Pinot commented that it is his "dream" to one day wear the yellow jersey, and he did not see it as a "poison chalice" to win the yellow jersey early in the race, meaning he would have to use his team to defend it.

But as he looks ahead to the final week, it is clear that he is not worried about complications from COVID-19 interrupting the race and having a champion declared based on mid-race standings.

"I'm hoping that the sporting results in Paris will be based on the race, without the team having to withdraw from the Tour. 'I am confident we will arrive in Paris and everyone will be with us. I am aware that the sword of Damocles is hanging over us, though." He said.