It may be uncertain whether sports director Frederic Guesdon wants to return to the Tour Down Under with the FDJ team. This week the French team had lots of bad luck in the Australian race, culminating with the crash of team leader Arnold Jeannesson in the final stage.

The peloton was riding at high speed in the penultimate lap in yesterday's criterium in Adelaide and was preparing for the sprint when a crash happened in the middle of the pack. Having been among the victims, Jeannesson was forced to withdraw, compaining of an injured wrist.

This crash spoiled the week. Jeannesson was ready to leave Australia on a good note after he finished 10th in the queen stage to Willunga after having been greatly suppoted by Jérémy Roy.

Although numerically weakened by the withdrawals of Lorrenzo Manzin and Olivier Le Ga, FDJ had rallied around their leader in the fifth stage. Jeannesson and Roy even made it into the 9-rider first echelon when the peloton split in the crosswinds just 8km from the finish on Willunga Hill.

The peloton got backc together at the bottom of the final climb but Jeannesson still had enough left to keep up with the pace of the group that was led by Geraint Thomas and Cameron Meyer. At the finish, the Frenchman was 10th and moved into 16th in the overall standings - certainly not enough to steal the headlines but enough to convince him that he has worked well and could return to Europe with a smile.

And then Jeannesson crashed and hurt himself, confirming Frédéric Guesdon's assessment that "this Tour Down Under is definitely not our race." Jeannesson now hopes to have avoided a scaphoid fracture.

Young Dutchman Wouter Wippert (Drapac) took the greatest victory of his young career and Sébastien Chavanel showed FDJ in the sprint by taking 10th.