Thibaut Pinot was heartbroken, nearly in tears, after Miguel Angel Lopez caught up to him and dropped him in the last kilometer of the Tour de Alps' Cals am Grossglockner mountain finish.

Pinot has not won a race since winning the Col du Tourmalet in the 2019 Tour de France. He retired from that year's race on stage 19 with a muscle problem, and a crash in the 2020 race and subsequent back pain sidelined him for much of the 2021 season.

Pinot appeared to put the record straight and all his woes behind him when he attacked alone from a breakaway group on the 12-km Carus am Grossglockner. Pinot's victory seemed assured, but Lopez caught up with him and attacked in the last kilometer, leaving Pinot in despair.

Crossing the finish line, Pinot held onto the barriers to catch his breath and try to overcome the disappointment of defeat. Afterward, Pino slumped to the floor and sat silently for several minutes, struggling to contain his emotions. At the first question about the defeat, he turned away, tears streaming down his face. He struggled to walk away before returning to the microphone and the camera, angrily saying, "I'm angry. 'It would have been a good experience for me to have gone through the last two years,' he said. 'If it had been me in my normal life, no one would have been able to catch up with me, and that's what frustrates me. If only life would smile on me for one day. ...... I just have to be patient."

Pinot has ridden a number of stage races since the beginning of 2022, and each one has boosted his morale and ambition. A victory would mean a lot to him.

"Winning today meant a lot to me. I could have turned that damn page and moved on to something else," he said, trying to find solace and enthusiasm for the future in his performance.

"We have another good chance to win. Let's see if we can make that happen tomorrow and in the coming weeks."