Groupama - FDJ explains Arnaud Demare's absence from Paris-Roubaix - "Arnaud isn't in good shape, he doesn't have the level he usually has"

The absence of Arnaud Démare at the Paris-Roubaix race was noted, and the general manager of Groupama-FDJ, Marc Madiot, recently disclosed the reason for his exclusion from the starting line.

"Arnaud isn't in good shape, he doesn't have the level he usually has, so we'll try to find out why and how he doesn't have the level,” he told RMC Sport. He continues,” He had the covid and since then, it ratatouille. Without being in great shape, he is not at his normal level.”

The team is currently striving to ascertain the root cause of the Frenchman's dip in performance, and if there is no upturn in his stats, he may have to forgo participation in other significant races. “We're going to try to dissect, analyse and understand what's going on, even if the covid didn't help, we may have picked up a little quickly, we'll see. To be in Roubaix, you have to be ready. He has the desire, but he is not ready so it is useless,” concluded Madiot.

Stefan Küng led the team to a fifth place in Roubaix however, almost fulfilling the goals that had been set out. The Frenchman still looks to perform at the Tour de France this summer.