Perhaps this was for the best. Certainly a victory would have been the perfect parting gift, but Thibaut Pinot's replacement business card was not perfect, especially here at the Tour de France... Nothing went smoothly in the Tour de France in July. Instead, with each Tour, the friction between hope and anxiety, belief and doubt only increased.

Pinot was destined to never win the Tour de France, even though he had the potential to do so. Deep down, he may have thought so from the beginning, but he never refused to accept this burden. Again and again, he rallied himself and once again tipped the windmill as the most relatable champion in the world of cycling. You must go on. I cannot continue. I will go on.

Suffering back injuries in the last years of his career, in 2020 and 2021, Pinot publicly stated that he would never win a Tour, but that did not dampen his passion for racing.

Now 33 and in his final season as a professional, Pinot entered his final Tour with the same sense of duty to leave his mark, though not to win the overall.

On Saturday, Pinot took his final victory on stage 20. Once again, Pinot faced the mountains and himself alone, but this time thousands upon thousands of fans shouted his name from the roadside.

They were stationed in front of the Groupma-FDJ bus before the start in Belfort: [Among the self-proclaimed ultras stationed at the "Village Pinot" in Petit Baron was friend and former teammate Artur Vichot.

When Pinot reached that point on the course, he was alone at the front of the race. He fulfilled the first stage of his mission by bridging the break group on the Gros Pierre, the third climb of the day, and then pulled away from the yellow jersey group by a minute on the Schlucht Pass.

At the bottom of the Petit Baron slope, Pinot lifted himself out of the saddle and accelerated away from the break group with his familiar graceful pedal stroke. For a few dizzying kilometers, Pino even seemed to do the impossible.

Instead, the story rang true to the end. Pinot fought bravely and took the lead on the final climb of the Platzerwasel, only to be chased from behind by yellow jersey riders Jonas Vingegaard and Tadei Pogacar. Pinot rejoined breakaway leaders Warren Barguil and Tom Pidcock before being caught and passed by the men who dominated the Tour in the later years of his career.

Pinot finished the day in seventh place and rode into Paris on Sunday in 11th overall, but the result was just a footnote, just a statistic.

As is often the case, the real story was emotion. As Pino crossed the finish line, his father Regis was standing with the soigneurs from Groupama-FDJ. Pinot was ushered to the podium, where his father modestly patted him before accepting the award for the most combative athlete of the day. There must have been no other candidate in mind to receive this honor than Pino.

"I had goosebumps the whole stage, experiencing incredible emotions," Pino said after the race.

"The emotion of success is special, but this goes beyond sports. We have left our mark on people's hearts and that is more beautiful than a victory. There will be emotions in Paris, but my people, my region, my stage, they were. The Champs Elysées is different, it's the day of the yellow jersey. Today was my day and this will be my last picture of the Tour.

Outside the Groupama-FDJ team bus, Pinot's manager, Marc Madio, was in performative tears.

But it was the rather reserved manager Philippe Maudouy who best described the mood of the day and the Pinot phenomenon as a whole.

"I must thank life for such an inspiration," smiled this Sportif general director.

Pino said something similar on Saturday, recalling the moment when he raced alone in the Petit Ballon and passed by the place where his friend Vichot was leading the chorus of the Collectif Ultras Pino.

"I can't believe it was all for me," Pino said.

"I never imagined I would be alone in the Petit Baron, and when I found out I was thinking about whether I really was. The best goodbye would have been to win, but I can't be too greedy. That kind of thing only happens in books and TV shows, even if it wasn't even close to winning."

Pinot's career in the Tour de France ended with three stage wins out of 10 appearances and third overall in 2014. His impact on the race can never be contained in numbers. One need only look at the rain that poured over the wide-open expanse of the Vosges Mountains on Saturday to see that.

Never mind the records, the memories and impressions will last. Or, as the late Gianni Moura often quoted Jacques Prévert in his articles transmitted from the Tour, "Le jardin reste ouvert pour ceux qui l'ont aimé. The garden remains open for those who loved it.