Arnaud Démare dreaming of a pink jersey tonight: "I have already won similar stages"

Groupama-FDJ have put themselves in a position where they are confident of a possible win later today at the Giro d'Italia, after Arnaud Démare admitted to have ambitions for today's opening stage before the start of the stage.

At the start of today's stage, the French sprinter has shown he's not afraid of the hilltop finish that will attribute the first pink jersey of this year's edition: “I have already won similar stages in Paris-Nice. I compare this climb a bit with the Cipressa. It will hurt and there will be squabbles, but maybe sprinters like me can cling on."

Démare is no stranger to climbing, having won Milano-Sanremo in the past. His last win came at last year's Paris-Tours, a race marked by it's hilly finale with several gravel sectors. Démare is yet to win this year, but he's got a team fully dedicated to his pursuit of stage wins and possibly the points classification.

The finale in Visegrád will be a hard start to the Giro d'Italia, featuring a final climb with 5.5 kilometers at 4.2% average gradient. Whilst it suits the likes of Mathieu van der Poel and Alejandro Valverde better, some sprinters are keen on being in the front of the race and fighting for the stage win.