"I couldn't push any further" - Arnaud Démare defeated in head-to-head battle against Arnaud de Lie in chaotic Besseges stage

Close but no cigar for Arnaud Démare who had to settle for yet another second place at Etoile de Besseges. It's not a failure to be defeated by strong rider like Arnaud De Lie, but it's not the results that will be remembered from this stage...

The French sprinter however never considered abandoning today. After all, his team Arkéa - B&B Hotels is not in the position to give up a chance to score good result on home soil in face of likely relegation and, in worst case, also disbanding.

In a post-race interview, Démare highlights the splendid work of his teammates, who covered all the attacks after race restarted and controlled the race for both Démare and the GC leader Kévin Vauquelin, who moved to 5th overall today. "When I started my sprint, I thought it was the right timing. I felt my legs were stiffening, that I couldn't push any further. I really put up resistance until the line. I took the lead at the start but De Lie caught up with me...," explained Démare.

"It was a complicated day because of the cold, the rain, the change of course... Despite everything, I remember once again that we had a good team. I felt that there was a possibility that it would go down into a sprint and our team tried to control in this sense. We are still placed well in the general classification and we will see what that gives for the rest with Mont Bouquet on Saturday," he concluded.

Démare's "job" at Etoile de Besseges is mostly finished after today, as neither tomorrow's finish on Le Mont Bouquet (4.6km at 9%), nor the time trial that awaits the day after will provide the speedster with many opportunities to show off his fast legs. All eyes will be on his teammate Vauquelin from this moment onwards.