Former pro cyclist Thibaut Pinot is giving one family the chance to stay with him at his farm, completely free of charge, during this summer’s Tour de France.
The Frenchman has teamed up with Tour partner Airbnb for the exclusive experience, which includes a three-night stay and a helicopter ride – with Pinot – to watch stage 13 on 17 July, the day the race passes through his hometown of Mélisey.
The package also includes a welcome barbecue hosted by Pinot, a bike ride, a lakeside picnic, and access to the team paddock on the day of the Tour stage.
“I’m proud to open the doors to my new life and my farm in Mélisey, in Haute-Saône, to help people discover the region where I grew up and to which I’m deeply attached,” Pinot said in a press release.
“With the Tour de France passing through the village, it’s the perfect opportunity to show that our countryside has just as much to offer as anywhere else, and that we’re really at home here.”
(Image credit: Airbnb/Anna Huix)
Pinot’s host experience is open to a single family of up to six people from 16-19 July. It covers accommodation and meals, although guests are expected to pay for their own transport to and from the farm.
The stay will be available to request to book at 9am UK time on 19 June at airbnb.com/thibautpinot. Given its exclusivity, it will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Pinot retired from his career as a pro cyclist at the end of 2023, following 14 years with Groupama-FDJ. During that time, he won three Tour stages, finished on the podium of the race in 2014, and became one of France’s most beloved riders, known for his attacking style on the bike and raw sentimentality off it.
Alongside his racing, Pinot kept a hobby farm with goats, sheep and cows, which he turned into his full-time job on retiring.
“The idea of running a farm and working the land has always been a part of me. Thanks to cycling, I’ve been able to build all this up for myself,” he told L’Équipe in 2023.
“I’ve always wanted to create things using what nature provides, like making honey, growing my own fruit and vegetables, and seeing what animals have to offer. [I’d also like to] run a bed and breakfast.”
Thibaut Pinot’s father, Régis Pinot, has been the mayor of Mélisey since 2008.
(Image credit: Airbnb/Anna Huix)
Pinot’s farm stay is one of a number of Tour de France experiences offered through Airbnb to mark the second year of the holiday company’s partnership with the race.
Airbnb is also giving fans the chance to ride part of the Tour route with former pro Pierre Rolland, join a group ride with 1995 Vuelta a España winner Laurent Jalabert, and dine at a Michel-starred restaurant in Paris.
Last year, Mark Cavendish hosted a free sprinting masterclass inside Paris’s Grand Palais through Airbnb.
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