Thibaut Pinot continued his preparation for the Giro d'Italia, finishing second in Mont Poupée at the end of a rain-soaked Tour du Jura on Saturday afternoon.

He was unable to keep up with the acceleration of winner Kevin Voeckelin (Arkea-Samsic), but held off Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) to claim his first podium finish in his final season as a professional.

"Second place is always disappointing. I came here to win," Pinot said, according to DirectVélo (opens in new tab).

The race was the second of three home road races this weekend for Pinot. Grupama-FDJ's Pinot finished fifth behind Victor Lafaye (Cofidis) in Friday's Classique Gran Besançon Dubs and will finish his one-day race trio on Sunday in the Tour du Dubs.

"Just like yesterday, I was a little short of contending for the win. 'But I'm still happy. Today was a hell of a day. It was a race I will remember for a long time. In these conditions, in this cold, it's not easy. I had to warm up as much as I could. I want to thank everyone for the win.

Pinot announced in January that 2023 would be his last season as a professional rider, and although he appeared to have a shot at the podium, he decided to return to the Giro d'Italia for the first time since 2018, when he retired on the final weekend due to illness.

He finished 10th overall in Tirreno-Adriatico last month and will also compete in the Tour de Romandie as a finishing touch to his preparation for the Giro, which starts on May 6. He described his run on Saturday as "encouraging."

"After Tirreno I had the flu," he said. It's hard to give 100% in conditions like today, but I hope to get better as the weeks go by. My goal of the Giro is still three weeks away, and don't forget that there is the Tour de Romandie in between. That's very encouraging."

Pinot was injured for most of the 2021 season, but last season he won a stage in the Tour de Alps and finished 14th overall in the Tour de France, and he insisted that the 2023 season would not be a mere rehabilitation.

"I want to progress. In the real mountain stages, I'll be riding in times of 30 or 40 minutes," Pinot said. "Here, I'm far from that kind of parcours. I prefer longer distances, but it's still important to work hard, and I came to these races to prepare for the coming races."

"Everyone is talking about the farewell tour. We're here to win races, not just to sign autographs and take pictures. That's what's important."