A little dropped in the last climb in Mûr-de-Bretagne, Thibaut Pinot, third last year, is eager to make it to the Pyrenees in three days.

“I finished 25 seconds behind. I couldn't really hope for more today. Here, it's special, it's for a puncher. With the victory of Alexis, we had the confirmation that he is one of the great climbers punchers of the French generation. Now I have two days to recover to be better in the Pyrenees," he told Letour.fr.

"I did not finish with the front group," he added. "But it is not a disappointment. I knew that I did not have the good feeling to be on top and I also know that it does not return overnight. I have bronchitis, since my crash on the road to Amiens, I have had a little pain in the knee and I ride through the pain. There are small things that prevent me from being 100%. In the Tour when you're at 90%, it is not enough. A climb like Mûr-de-Bretagne is not what I prefer but I also know that at my level, I would not lose 25 seconds."

The last two stages marked a clear desire for the peloton to recover after the first five very intense days. According to sports director Yvon Madiot, it allowed his riders who had been crash victims, to recover a bit, including Jérémy Roy who was in a counterattack late in the stage and Steve Morabito who has hurt his shoulder. This should enable the FDJ rider do a good team time trial

"Tomorrow we really want to do a good TTT," Benoit Vaugrenard said. "We are a cohesive team, not the strongest on paper but one that works well. We will try to have fun while stille having a little pressure. I am confident., We have prepared a lot for this stage during the winter. 

"For my part,  I know these roads by heart. I live there. I will be there to give information to others, especially after some of us checked the route one day before the GP PLumelec.

The FDJ team will start at 15:15 and will be one of the first to take off.

"Finally we are getting to the mountains," Pinot said. "Those are the climbs that suit me the best and I have two days to recover."