Arnaud Démare: Giro d’Italia points battle was bigger with Peter Sagan in 2020

TREVISO ITALY MAY 26 Arnaud Demare of France and Team Groupama FDJ celebrates winning the purple points jersey on the podium ceremony after the 105th Giro dItalia 2022 Stage 18 a 156km stage from Borgo Valsugana to Treviso Giro WorldTour on May 26 2022 in Treviso Italy Photo by Michael SteeleGetty Images
(Image credit: Michael SteeleGetty Images)

Arnaud Démare’s parents were among the crowds pressed against the barriers on the finishing circuit of stage 18 of the Giro d’Italia in Treviso, watching a pixelated feed on a mobile phone as they waited for the race to finish.

After the break swept past for the final lap, they craned their necks to check on the progress of the Giro d'Italia peloton. When it eventually came by, Démare’s Groupama-FDJ squad were duly leading the way with QuickStep-AlphaVinyl, but their deficit on the four-man break was still in excess of a minute with a shade over 10km to go.

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Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.