Arnaud Demare 11ème
Arnaud Demare took 11th place in the Spanish classic.
Photo : Getty
“We had a great team race in this Clasica Almeria, with a chaotic finish, but we knew it. The collective responded. We perhaps left a little too early, but it was the risk worth taking due to the fact that the wind was quite strong in the final. In the sprint, the train was there, I feel that we are present, that we have the strength. I take Wout Van Aërt who comes back down, and for 100 meters I am in balance by stopping pedaling so as not to fall. I was not able to sprint at all. Otherwise, at least, I was in the top five. That’s my disappointment of the day. Otherwise I am confident for the future, I I saw great things in Mallorca, and here. The guys have the desire and know how to do it. Now we just need the right opportunity to present itself and I can seize it. I narrowly avoided falling in the sprint “I was neck and neck for fifty meters with the runner who fell on my right. But I managed to avoid him.”
“The ARKEA-B&B HOTELS team was not rewarded for the work they did on this Clasica Almeria. The riders perhaps took the lead a little too early, Arnaud was also hampered by Wout Van Aërt when he got up, and he narrowly avoided a fall in the final. Arnaud could do much better, Hubert did a good job riding the entire race at the head of the peloton to maintain the gap between the breakaways and the peloton. Arnaud gained confidence in his train, he saw that everyone was responding, and that bodes well for the races to come.”