Place 11 - Arnaud Démare

Arnaud Démare

France

26.08.1991

 

Type of Rider: Sprinter

Biggest Success: 1st La Côte Picarde

Team/Club 2011: CC Nogent-sur-Oise

Stagiaire: FDJ

Team 2012: FDJ

Best Mock List-placing: 36th 2010

Web: www.facebook.com/home.php

 

With sprinter's results alone, you can fill an entire report. So it is also with the just 20-year-old Frenchman Arnaud Démare, with whom La Grande Nation finally has a promising talent again, who can - after a few strong riders such as Casper, Nazon and Feillu – step into the large footsteps of a Moncassin.

 

Already at preschool age, Démare made his first steps on a bike at the CC Formerie, the club of his uncle. At age 15 he got the third place at the French title race and became road champion of the Département L’Oise and the region Picardie. Consequently came the step to the junior team of Wasquehal. First successes emerged quickly, among them two stage victories for the French national team at the Canadian Tour de l’Abitibi resp. the Coupe des Nations Abitibi Val d'Or.

 

In 2009 Démare exploded with outstanding 25 podium spots and twelve victories. At Liège-La Gleize he won the team time trial with the French national team and got a third rank out of a mass sprint. He finished Croatia's Kroz Istru with a stage victory and the third place overall. Second place at the junior editon of Paris-Roubaix, the green jersey for the best sprinter at the Peace Race and the bronze medal at the European Junior Championships are further successes. At the World Championships he upped the ante and won silver behind Jasper Stuyven. Quite rightly he was honoured with the Vélo d'Or for juniors by the end of the year.

 

He also swept this award in 2010 after his first year with the Espoirs, that he contested for CC Nogent-sur-Oise, where other fast guys like Feillu, Offredo, Bonnet, Haddou, Bonsergent, Bacquet oder Molmy originated in. Already in his first pro race in March at the GP Ville de Lillers - Souvenir Bruno Comini (1.2), he interloped the Top 10. In other ways as well the Frenchman was able to prove his strength regularly in one day races. At the two 1.NC-Rennen La Côte Picarde (8th) and ZLM Tour (10th) he picked up the sprint of the peloton, at the U23 edition of Paris-Tours (1.2U) he became ninth. Like in junior times he got the bronze medal at the European Championships in Ankara, where he had to give in to Gawronski and Oliveira, but prevailed against, by professional victories decorated, current pros like Bouhanni, Nizzolo and Lobato. At the World Championships in Geelong only the medal winners Matthews, Degenkolb, Phinney and Boivin placed themselves ahead of him on an ascending finishing straight.

 

One of his four wins of the season 2010 was concurrently his first pro win, that he celebrated at the GP de Pérenchies (1.2) ahead of compatriot Adrien Petit, who stirs up the sprints for Cofidis in the meantime. In addition he won a stage at the Tour de Moselle and concluded the Tour third, after two further second places. Moreover he got three Top Six rankings in the Tour de Bretagne (2.2) and beat John Degenkolb among others. Démare was also successful overseas, where he won a stage of the Coupe des Nations Ville Saguenay (2.NC).

 

However 2010 started more stuttering. Despite lots of opportunities only two fourth places came from the Tour de Normandie (2.2) by the end of March, one in a sprint for the third place against Jonas Vangenechten. Not until mid-April the knot bursted with his victory at La Côte Picarde (1.NC) with his victory against the two Mock List rivals Tsatevich and van der Sande. Nine other victories followed till now, including a fistful at minor French races, again two stages in Canada at the the Coupe des Nations Saguenay (2.NC), one stage at the Tour Alsace (2.2) and at the one day race GP de Pont-à-Marcq / Ronde Pévèloise (1.2) against the strong Belarusian Hutarovich and his fellow-countryman Flahaut.

 

At the ZLM Tour (1.NC) he took an ungrateful fourth place behind the winner Rowe and the more or less unknown Steenuit and Reguigui. The Espoirs edition of Paris-Roubaix (1.2U) delievered the same placing, he came in 15th at Ronde van Vlaanderen Beloften (1.2U). Furthermore he recommended himself to aspire to higher things with some second places at the Tour de Bretagne (2.2), the Ronde le l’Oise (2.2), the GP Cristal Energie and the French U23 Championships.

 

His first race as a FDJ stagiare he successfully competed at Tour du Poitou-Charentes et de la Vienne (2.1). At the start he entered the podium by beating well-known sprinters like Koldo Fernandez, Rojas, Ravard and Hunter, the next two days he confirmed this performance with places six and seven. These results fit perfectly into the continuous progress of the young Picardien, who soon wants to shake up things at his favorite races: Milano-San Remo, Ronde van Vlaanderen, Paris - Roubaix and – as it should be – the Tour de France.

 

Nominated by virtualprofit, written by virtualprofit, translated by ocana