Marc Madiou insisted that his choice of Thibaut Pinot for the Tour de France, his last season as a professional, was not due to emotion. On Tuesday, Groupama-FDJ director Marc Madiot announced the first five-man lineup for the Tour de France and also confirmed that sprinter Arnaud Demaret will not be a finalist.

"If Thibault is coming, it is because he is physically competitive. If Thibault comes, it is because he is physically competitive, not because it is his last year," Madiot told Ouest-France, adding that he did not take into account Pinot's immense popularity in his home country.

"We tried to ignore all that. I didn't want to lean on the fact that the people wanted it, etc. All I wanted was a guarantee of sport. That's all."

Pinot finished fifth overall at last month's Giro d'Italia, winning the mountains prize. On his last day in Rome, he wanted to race the Tour, but Madio wanted assurances about his recovery from the Italian expedition.

"I think it would be a professional mistake not to take Thibault to the Tour," Madio said. 'I wanted to wait for the euphoria of the Giro to cool down. And after a few days, as fatigue sets in, you immediately feel the weight of all the effort you've put in. But we were all relieved. The doctor saw it too."

When Pinot announced his retirement in January, and hoped to compete in the Giro, it seemed as though he wanted to avoid the Tour in his final season. Pinot won three stages at the Tour and finished third overall in 2014, but he also experienced some disappointment in 2019, when he abandoned the race just short of winning the overall.

"At the beginning of the season, there was no question that he would be in the Tour, and when we programmed him in December, we talked about the Giro, not the Tour," Madio said. 'Personally, I imagined him doing the Giro and races he liked and ending it peacefully.'

As the season began, it became clear that Pino had other ideas about his final months as a professional. Rather than taking gentle steps toward retirement, Pino seemed to be angry, defying the fading light.

"What changed everything was that he didn't think of his last year as an early retirement. It was nothing more than a farewell tour," says Madiotto. 'He's like the Rolling Stones. Every time you see him, you think it's the last time, and then you go back for the next one."

David Gaudou, who finished fourth overall the year before last, will lead Groupama-FDJ in this Tour, with Pinot in a supporting role.

"He's been under a lot of pressure in many Tour de France races," said Pinot. Now he wants to run the Tour like he ran the Giro."

While Pinot is set to compete in the Tour, Demare is out of the lineup, suggesting that the sprinter will not remain with Groupama-FDJ, whose contract expires at the end of this season.

"It's going to be financially complicated," Madio said, expressing regret at having to leave Demare out. 'I could not be overly emotional when it came to making this choice. I had to have a clear conscience and build the most effective team possible."