Bryan Coquard (Direct Energie) continued his fantastic 2016 season by winning the big battle with Arnaud Demare (FDJ) on the first stage of the Route du Sud. Using superior technical skills, he accelerated out of the final corner to open a gap and easily held off his rival and Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) to take both the stage win and the leader’s jersey.

We have gathered a few reactions.

Bryan Coquard: I have taken another step this year

"I knew there were roughly 250 meters from the bridge to the finish and I could start right after the turn,” Bryan Coquard told Directvelo. “With the cross,wind I knew I could make the gap directly. The team worked really well, Thomas (Voeckler) and Chava (Chavanel) rode on the front and Tutu (Angelo Tukik) did was super to open the door in the corner. This is what was planned and we got the victory in the end so it's the best! I did not want to have it like at the finish in Boucles de la Mayenne where there was a lot of fighting. It was really dirty.

“We left it to FDJ to do the work to get the breakaway back but I never doubted. I was sure it was going to be caught, especially with the headwind. Even with a gap of 20 minutes, I think they would have been caught. With 80 km to go we started to chase and we got back quickly.

“I think I turned a corner this season because I start to win a lot, even GCs. The team trusts me and when they work for me, I have only one desire: to reward them. I came to the Route du Sud without pressure. I have to climb the mountains to prepare for the Tour de France. We had no objective and with today's victory there is even less pressure on the shoulders.”

"It was a sprint where we had a corner with 250 meters to go,” he told Eurosport. “I was in fourth place and Direct Energie had worked well for me. Then I went on the inside of Arnaud Démare to start my sprint. I knew there was crosswind. It's still a good win. "

"This is a major success two and a half weeks before the Tour de France. That means that the form is good. The team works well and we arrive in good shape for the Tour. To win now it's good for the confidence. "

”Tomorrow is a short and difficult stage but I like it so we will see how we will handle this stage. There will also be the last day that can suit me. I think there are still two chances.”

Nairo Quintana goes on suicide attack to have fun at the Route du Sud

He stated before the start: "I want to make some efforts to see how things stand for me." No sooner said than done as Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team) went on a long breakaway during the opening stage of the Route du Sud - 197km between Saint-Pons-en-Thomières and Bessières , at the front for three quarters of the route together with four other escapees which he tortured until there was only one companion left, Frenchman Quentin Jauregui (ALM). Looking for legs, good sensations and some race form, the Boyacá rider spent 150km at the front.

The telephone squad leader's adventure, who held more than 11 minutes of advantage at points of the race, was over with 45km to go as Direct Energie and FDJ controlled the bunch to secure a bunch sprint, won by Bryan Coquard with a fine José Joaquín Rojas in 3rd place. The five-second bonus obtained by Quintana in intermediate sprints puts him in 3rd overall, which ensures that him and Rojas (4th) a favourable position, almost at the end of the list, for Friday's TT (14km) in Albi, end to the day's double sector - a 92km road race is scheduled for the morning.

"I went to the start pretty excited to get going", explained Quintana after the stage. "The break went away and we went for it, looking to test our legs for a big and see if we could experiment a bit. When we saw we had a gap, we decided it was worth to keep going - and it ended up being a long one. A good training and also some fun!

"Let's say I decided to train while having fun .There was no question of staying away. I'm here to prepare for the Tour and nothing else. Simply, the road went up and this is the kind of terrain that I like.”

Quentin Jauregui joins Quintana in Route du Sud breakaway

Quentin Jauregui was in the break with Quintana.

"There were seven at first and I think with just two it was doomed to failure,” he told L’Equipe. “I asked myself questions but I told myself that I could do the kilometers that will serve me later. I knew that he was there to turn the legs and that we would be brought back at some point. This is not a day for nothing as I was with Quintana in a breakaway that never had a chance.”

Alexander Kamp gets his chance in Route du Sud bunch sprint

In a technical final, Alexander Kamp sprinted to an 11th place for Stölting.

In the final kilometres, the sprint trains battled for position, and Kamp, too, was brought to the front by his teammates. Bryan Coquard (Direct Energie) won the sprint, Kamp lost a couple of positions with 1 km to go, but then sprinted to 11th place.

Sports Director André Steensen said: “Quintana played his cards right from the start, so it was a very hard start to the stage. But FDJ kept their cool and could reel him in eventually; that suited us quite well. We had planned to support Alexander for the sprint, and did a good job in that. The team brought him forward well, especially Michael Reihs and Mads Pedersen stayed with for a long time; Reihs and Thomas Koep also rode well in the beginning, joining lots of attacks.

“It was a tough and technical final, and Alexander was on his own for the last 3 km, which is quite a distance. He says himself that he made a mistake with 1000 m to go when he got out of the wind to save power for the sprint – that was when about ten riders passed him. This was unfortunate as he sprinted from position 20 or so. But it was his first mass sprint this year, and the sprint was very good. We’ll try again tomorrow, and I believe that Alexander is fast enough to mix it up with the very best.”