Despite well recognized internal rivalry with second of the squad’s fast finishers Nacer Bouhanni, 22-year old Arnaud Demare enjoys a full support of the FDJ.fr team and thus, following his promising showings in the cobbled classics, the former U23 world champion decided to extend his contract with a French team through 2016.

Demare enjoyed a best possible start to the 2014 season with a stage win in his season’s first appearance at the Tour of Qatar. The result was followed by runner-up spots claimed on stages at the Volta ao Algarve and Tirreno-Adriatico, but performances of the 22-year old Frenchman in the cobbled classics should be considered more respectable and promising.

French sprinter finished runner-up at the Gent-Wavelgem, tenth at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and, most impressively, twelfth at the Paris-Roubaix last weekend in the small group of riders including the likes of Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) or Bjorn Leukemans (Wanty-Groupe Gobert), despite suffering two punctures and a crash.

Enjoying a full support of the FDJ.fr team Demare decided to stick with his current squad and, more surprisingly, admitted that he didn’t expect any other offers to arrive.

"I am very happy in the FDJ.fr team, very proud of the confidence they have shown me, and very happy to continue in this beautiful blue jersey," Démare said.

Being at first considered as a pure sprinter, Demare slowly proves to be way more versatile with his ability to excel in short time trials and constantly newly established quality as a future classics rider. The 22-year old Frenchman admitted to be satisfied with a huge progress he has made under the wings of the FDJ team.

"The first year I did the Giro, it was impossible to overtake the rider in front of me in the sprints," he said. "Now I do not even question myself, and it goes much better. I'm suddenly a lot more fun during the race. At first, I was criticized for not fighting, but I could not, I was flat out. Now, being more lucid, I can see where to put the wheel... In Het Nieuwsblad I was enormously pleased to make the front of the race. In Gent-Wevelgem, on the two passages of Kemmel all went well. It was obvious that I have progressed."

"When I was younger, people said, 'Démare is a sprinter, Démare is a sprinter' and one day it made me angry so in a race in Normandy, I attacked in the second lap and I ended up with a four minute lead. I always had that in mind when I was young. When I was a junior, I finished the Grand Prix Lilliers with a 1:20 lead. ... I love to sprint, it allows me to win races. I love the Classics. There are riders who are grimpeur-rouleur, but I am sprinteur-rouleur."