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."

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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.

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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.

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