With no sprinter in the team, Ag2r had an aggressive approach to the first stage of the Route du Sud. Pierre-Roger Latour and Quentin Jauregui both attacked and the latter was caught less than 1km from the finish.

"I attacked 15km from the finish," Jauregui told Directvelo. "Everyone was riding well in the break but we needed another rider. I attacked 1 km from the finish and I was caught with 300m to go. I am disappointed but that is cycling."

"I wanted to help the team by joining a breakaway in the finale," Latour told Directvelo. "We were only represented with Quentin [Jauregui] in the front group. So I joined a counterattack by Julien Loubet and got closer to the leaders. But Team Europcar was chasing in the peloton. I had a gap of hundred meters and that was not enough to continue the effort. So I decided to wait for the peloton and then I was well placed alongside the other riders in the peloton to help the maximum."