In the latest instalment of the Cyclingnews podcast Daniel Benson and special guest Philippa York look back at an exciting stage at the Criterium du Dauphine. They talk about the action and hear from a quartet of  Chris Froome, Tom Domoulin, Jakob Fuglsang, and Adam Yates but the trust of the podcast centres around Thibaut Pinot and the search for a French Tour de France winner and when riders face the reality of retirement.

 Pinot takes centre stage after he attacked several times on the stage and split the GC group. It was a real sign of intent and although the Tour de France is still several weeks away his performance will have drawn attention. York talks about the pressure placed on French riders since the days of Bernard Hinault and the generations of riders who have grown up in the rider’s illustrious shadow.

 We also talk about retirement. Stage 2 saw Steve Cummings pull of the race and although there’s no indication that the rider will hang up his wheels, at the age of 38 it’s not beyond the realms of possibility either. We discuss the causes of retirement and what prompts a rider to eventually make that tough decision to stop. 

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