BOURG-SAINT-ANDéOL (FRANCE) - French climber Thibaut Pinot pulled out of the Tour de France before Friday's 13th stage due to illness. Pinot finished third in the 2014 Tour won by Italian Vincenzo Nibali while last year he won a stage for the first time. "Ill, Thibaut Pinot won't start the TDF 13th stage," said FDJ in a message on Twitter. France's Thibaut Pinot celebrates on the podium at the end of the 11th stage of the Tour de France on July 13, 2016The 26-year-old FDJ leader had struggled on Thursday's stage that finished on Mont Ventoux. He had already been in difficulty earlier during the Tour, losing time in the Pyrenees where normally the specialist climber would have been expected to thrive.

Source: Bangkok Post July 15, 2016 09:11 UTC