Arnaud Démare keen on winning at Tour de France this summer: "I want to go back"

Arnaud Démare has started 2023 with a different list of goals then his regular, and he has two main aims: reach 100 professional victories, and win at the Tour de France.

"The bar of 100 victories would be a real consecration, because it represents well the longevity of a rider over the years," Démare said in a recent interview. "In the history of French cycling, only Bernard Hinault, Laurent Jalabert and Jacques Anquetil have reached this figure, but unlike these three champions, I could achieve it with one and the same jersey since my first success: that of the Groupama-FDJ team."

Démare revealed he will start his season in Turkey at the Tour of Antalya, before racing the sprinter-suited Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne. He will race Paris-Nice in preparation for Milano-Sanremo and the spring classics where he's expected to race on a few occasions.

The Tour de France lays ahead, as his big goal for the summer. "It's in the pipeline. I know that I won't have a train all around me, we will have to make concessions. The general classification will be the number one objective, my presence will not change much for David [Gaudu], I'll be the little bonus," he continued.

With the departure of Ramon Sinkeldam and Jacopo Guarnieri however, it will not be the same sight that is expected of the French team. "Doing without a train is a big challenge for me," he admits.

"If my presence on the Tour is confirmed? It's up to Marc [Madiot] to announce it, but in my head, I I'm there, yes. Marc knows that I want to do it, I've already spoken to him about it for three or four months. I want to go back," Démare concluded.