As the cold winter sun set over the boulevards of Aix-en-Provence, Thibaut Pinot took to the stage at the Aix 'Passino' Theatre to warm the hearts of Frenchmen completely bruised by his dramatic abandonment in last year's Tour de France. 29 years old, wearing his number for the first time since last July, this week The four-day Tour de la Provence will kick off the 2020 season.

Despite the other big names in the field, Pinot captivated the Aix crowd (which wasn't a huge crowd, but it was a Wednesday evening in February). While Julien Alaphilippe proved last July that he was a durable overall leader, it looked as if Pinot would finally be the man who, after years of hesitation, would finally put an end to the maillot jaune that the French cycling world had been waiting for in Paris.

Now, as Pinot and his father, Marc Madiot, director of Groupama-FDJ, know, he must step up again and build on last year's performance. In other words, a podium in Paris or even the maillot jaune is not enough.

Finishing at 1,429 meters in the cool Ventoux air will be a good test of where Pinot is now after 20 days of high-altitude training in Tenerife and what the 2020 season will bring.

"I can't wait for the race to start," Pinot said. 'I want to know where I stand, I've turned the page from the 2019 Tour. It's time to move on and focus on the new season. I don't feel any pressure.

"I'm starting from scratch. This week I'm thinking less about results and more about feeling my best in the car. I don't have my form completely figured out, but it's probably the same as it was this time last year. It's a great parcours and I'm all set for a good week."

Pinot's main spring target is Paris-Nice (March 8-15). He said, "I'll be riding several races in France this year, partly to rekindle the feeling I had at last year's Tour. Next week I will be competing in the Tour du Haut Var and it will be nice to be among the top riders in these early races.

However, he dismissed the notion that Saturday's partial climb of Ventoux and finish at Chalet Reynard (a ski resort below the summit of Mont Ventoux) suited him better than the others.

"It's not really Ventoux, though. "It's only up to Chalet Reynard. ...... Besides, come February, people are used to this kind of effort; a 40-minute climb in February doesn't bother me. I just want to perform well up there."

"It's not a climb I particularly like," Pinot admitted. 'I've abandoned the Tour twice, the day after the Ventoux stage. It's not a place I have good memories of, so I want to feel good on Saturday."

Gourpama-FDJ's preparations for the Grand Depart in Nice on June 27 will begin here. This week, along with both Rudy Morard and David Gaudoux, Pinot hopes to water down last summer's bitter tears.

"My wife was happy when I packed my suitcase to come here," Madio joked, referring to the star rider's extended absence.

Pinot, meanwhile, said he would only start thinking about the Tour in May, but it was clear that July was the only month that mattered to the many star-seeking kids waiting for him back at his hotel in Aix last night.