Arnaud Demare ruled out of upcoming races due to fractured finger

Arnaud Demare was supposed to be leading the charge for Arkéa - B&B Hotels at the upcoming race this weekend. Sadly for the experienced French sprinter, he will no longer be able to take part due to injury. 

"An X-ray check carried out on Arnaud Demare has shown that a fracture in the fifth finger of the right hand," reveals an official statement by the Arkéa - B&B Hotels team's social media pages, with the 32-year-old having completed the 4 Jours du Dunkerque earlier this month despite suffering that fracture in a crash on the opening stage. 

As mentioned, Demare was expected to be leading the way for the Arkéa - B&B Hotels team this weekend and if fully-fit, the ten-time Grand Tour stage winner would have been among the front runners for victory at both Heistse Pijl and the Brussels Cycling Classic. Sadly that will no longer be the case and as of yet, there is no known return date for former Groupama - FDJ man. 

"Arnaud Demare will be unavailable this weekend for the Heistse Pijl and the Brussels Cycling Classic," confirms the Arkéa - B&B Hotels announcement. Whether or not Demare will be able to make a Tour de France return after controversially missing out on selection last year in a situation that eventually led to his acrimonious departure from Marc Madiot's team part of the way through the 2023 season, remains to be seen.