In 12 years with Groupama-FDJ, sprinter Arnaud Démare has only competed in 5 Tours de France. This year again, the French will not be there. The French team relies on a composition oriented towards the mountains and the general classification around David Gaudu. In an interview with L’Equipe, he recounts how he heard the news: “Marc (Madiot, team manager) called me last Thursday and said: ‘Listen Arnaud, I don’t won’t take me to the Tour”. I am angry, disgusted because I worked for, I made concessions this winter knowing that I would have a teammate with me for the sprint.
Démare, 31, explains that he preferred the Giro to the Tour because he could never have a team around him on the Tour to win stages. “The Tour, I won two stages there and for a Frenchman… I deserve to go to the Tour. Unpretentious, five Tours de France, for the runner that I am, is little. I am a man of challenges. I can go back to the Giro and redo what I’ve already done (eight stage wins). But the Tour is a difficult race and I did not win as much as on the Giro, I want to win again, ”he explains.
The Frenchman, who will not continue the adventure in his lifelong team, did not filter out potential drop points. He nevertheless confirms the interest of certain teams: “To see the recognition, the respect of the other teams, frankly, it feels really good. I feel this desire that I no longer have here, to go up a train, to take part in big races, it’s very motivating. I always have the win in my legs and in my head,” he concludes.
