Team FDJ paid a high price for the spills and thrills of stage 6 between Arras and Reims. French champion Arnaud Demare, ambitious after his third place in Lille, saw his ambitions quashed by a serious crash.
“He's bruised but that's the Tour. He was full of hope after his podium and everything collapsed in a minute. The Tour brings you back to the ground quickly,” said team director Yvon Madiot to LeTour.fr.
In the same stage, Thibaut Pinot, who had done pretty well on the cobbles, unfortunately lost a minute in an echelon, hampering his GC chances.
“But a GC result newer was our objective. We never said we aimed for it. Our goal remains a stage win,” the young of the Madiot added.
The Vosges, the massif in which Pinot was raised, come at the right time for the team leader, 10th overall in 2012 and said to be in great shape.
“To win a stage, he will have to go in a break. And if it's the case, we will be in a position to think about the KOM classification. The polka-dot jersey doesn't go to the best climber anymore but to riders who go in the breaks.
“Still the polka-dot is not an objective either, it's a goal that might come with the circumstances,” Madiot said.
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