Démare makes it three in a row for FDJ.fr

Arnaud Démare kept the blue, white and red jersey in the camp of FDJ.fr as he outsprinted his own teammate Nacer Bouhanni. Europcar's Kevin Reza, who originates from the Caribbean islands, finished third to form a symbolic podium showcasing the diversity of the French population. During the soccer World Cup, it's common to highlight the "black-blanc-beur France", which means a multi-racial mix of black, white and Arab people, but such diversity also happened today far away from Brazil in the traditional Poitou region which was hosting road nationals.

"It's really exceptional," Démare said. "Two years ago, Nacer and I finished first and second in the opposite order. We've raced for a bunch sprint finish. We were two sprinters in the team with the same desire of being French champion. Nacer's victories at the Giro d'Italia have boosted me. I understand what he feels now. Two years ago, I was also disappointed to come second but I only had six months of being a pro behind me."

The rivalry between Démare and Bouhanni reached its peak in the only race of the year in which they were supposed to compete in together, only a few days after Bouhanni announced his almost certain departure from FDJ.fr - probably to Cofidis - and was denied a start at the Tour de France.

"Beyond the result, I retain that we had the two best sprinters in the peloton," team manager Marc Madiot said. "I enjoyed the spirit of sacrifice and team work today. I told the riders in the meeting that we all owe that to the four-leaf clover [the emblem of the French lottery] that has supported us for 18 years so far. We had to show more than just an advertising board. Démare and Bouhanni are both great riders. As long as they're on my team, I have the same consideration for all my guys."

As the president of the French professional cycling league, Madiot was called on stage to reward the winners. "He told me that whatever happens in the future, he's proud to have had me in his team," said Bouhanni, who didn't have many offers to turn pro three years ago.

"The team has done a superb work all day today," Bouhanni said. "But I felt less strong than one week ago. At the Route du Sud, I was stronger than at the Giro, but today I stalled and Arnaud was stronger than me, I have to admit it. The one-two finish is wonderful for the team but personally I'm very disappointed."

Two years ago on the dead flat circuit of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux, the FDJ team kept the peloton under control for the whole race, but this time around, they had to chase breakaways all day, especially the first one containing 21 riders, including Thomas Voeckler.

"We had an attacking team, so we wanted to create moves," said Reza. "Thomas got caught with one lap to go, but we didn't manage to overtake FDJ in the finale. We've lost against to a team stronger than us. In the sprint, we had some hopes with Bryan Coquard but I think he lost my wheel in a crash with 1.5km to go. The two sprinters from FDJ were untouchable. It's kind of a surprise for me to come third. I'm not a pure specialist of sprinting. I'd like to be given my chance a bit more often."

Once again, Cofidis missed out on the podium, with Julien Simon crossing the line in fourth position. In 18 years of existence like FDJ, they've never won the French championship, but they strongly hope to attract Bouhanni for better results in the future.

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