Valentin Paret-Peintre with a strong 8th overall at Tour Down Under: "I was expecting to be more between tenth and twentieth"

Valentin Paret-Peintre was one of the many surprising performances witnessed at the WT season opener, the Tour Down Under. The young Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team climber wasn't his team's designated leader, but when the opportunity came by, he didn't ask twice and delivered eighth place overall.

"It's really a great result, I wasn't expecting too much, even though I knew I had good legs. I was expecting to be more between tenth and twentieth, it's great to be in the top 10," he can't hide his excitement speaking to Cyclism'Actu.

"Clément Berthet was the leader, he was strong, but he had bad luck yesterday by falling at the top of the first climb of Willunga Hill," the recently 23-year-old explains. "I was not protected, but I was there in case Clément had a problem and I seized the opportunity."

"It's super important to start the season well, it gives the team and myself confidence. My goals? I'm going to return to Giro d'Italia with the desire to be in shape to support Ben O'Connor as best as I can," he concluded.