Démare aiming high into Europeans and late-season classics after Pologne win: "I am very happy with this sprint"

Arnaud Démare could not follow on the dominance he had during this year's Giro d'Italia, however he managed to save his Tour de Pologne by winning the final stage of the race in Krakow.

“It was not an ideal sprint, because at one kilometer from the finish I was maybe in position twenty or twenty-five. Very far, but in the end I came forward and waited for a good opening," the Frenchman said in a post-race interview. "I came very quickly, I made the choice to pass on the left and stamped hard. I am very happy with this sprint.”

Although he was a part of every sprint in the race, he had only managed to finish second as his best result on stage five. After winning three stages and the points classification at the Giro, it proved a tough comeback for the leader of Groupama - FDJ, however he managed to turn the race around.

"For me it was a perfect week. To work in the mid-mountains was very good, I have never been in the gruppetto," he added. As the first race of his final block of competitions of this season, it was also the 30-year old's goal of getting form for the upcoming races and he has reported being satisfied with his conditions.

“And there were many opportunities for sprinters," he said, revealing his upcoming schedule which includes several high level races. "I know that this will be very good for what is to come: the European Championship, Hamburg (BEMER Cyclassics) and then the classics in Belgium and France," Démare concluded.