Thibaut Pinot fears 2020 will be a "lost year" in the peak of his career, but he is not concerned about the sport or the Tour de France (open in new tab).

Speaking publicly for the first time since finishing fifth in Paris-Nice (open in new tab) 10 days ago, the Frenchman, in an interview with French national broadcaster France Télévisions, revealed how the Cobalt 19 pandemic and public blockades in France have affected his life He opened up about how the Cobalt 19 pandemic and the public blockade in France had affected his life.

Pino lives on a farm in Mélisay, in the Haute-Saône department in the east of central France, where he has many animals to care for, land to walk on, and a small lake where he can fish for carp. His parents live less than a kilometer away, but avoid contact because his mother is a nurse and his father is an undertaker and both still have risky jobs. [Pino told France Télévisons, "Since Paris-Nice, I've been taking some time off, and so far I'm coping well with my confinement.

"I wasn't planning on training, so I'm not worried.

With France currently on lockdown and not allowed to go out for training, professional riders are forced to rely on static indoor trainers. Riders from other countries have already ridden considerable distances and even race virtually on online programs.

Pinot, however, is not of the same mindset.

"I think my record on my home trainer is an hour and a half.

"I'm not a fan of training in a closed environment.

"It has nothing to do with riding on the road. You sweat a lot, you lose salt and minerals. I don't think it's good to overdo it on the home trainer."

To avoid "mental fatigue," Pino plans to limit the sessions to 90 minutes and see how long the lockdown lasts, while also using core strength training.

When told that it could last until early May, he joked: "I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

Pinot plans to start riding on his home trainer on Thursday and Friday to stay in shape if the June 27 Tour de France is held as scheduled.

"Fifteen days of rest is fine. Last year I did that after the Catalunya Volta and a month and a half later I was among the best in the Dauphiné. But if you take a month off, it equals a winter break, and then it takes three months to get back into shape. To make it to the Tour, I'm limited to 15 days of rest."

Still, Pinot hopes that just a few small rides on his home trainer will eventually get him back on the road.

"If I start training in earnest at the beginning of May to be ready for the July start, it will be complicated; I might be able to make it to 90%, but at the Tour I have to be 100%."

Pinot is now focused on the Criterium du Dauphiné, which is scheduled to begin on May 31, but there are many uncertainties. If the Dauphiné goes ahead, the Tour de France will likely go ahead as well, but he is well aware that he could lose a great chance to win France for the first time since 1985.

"What worries me more than anything is that if the Tour is cancelled, it means that the pandemic is getting worse; I don't know if ASO can postpone the Tour, it could be rescheduled or it could be cancelled. That worries me because a year without a Tour, a year without a Grand Tour, is a complicated year," Pinot said.

"This year, parcours suits me perfectly. But I don't know if all the races will take place later in the year."

"I don't know if it's going to be a good year for me.

Nevertheless, Pino refuses to be carried away by his concerns and maintains his perspective.

"Cycling is now completely absurd. There are so many more important things than knowing if the Tour will be cancelled or changed. So I'm not complaining, and if I have to ride on my home trainer for a month, I can't complain."

"We are in a bit of an unrealistic situation and cycling is nothing in that situation."