Romain Hardy (Cofidis) showed that he is in excellent condition for the important races in the summer when he finished second in the first stage of the Route du Sud.

"We knew that the finale would be good for attacks," he tol Directvelo. "That is why we tried with Rudy Molard and Stéphane Rossetto. The winding finale with the uphill finish suited me well. That's why I asked in the morning to have the opportunity to do my own sprint. Unfortunately, we lost speed and Tronet sprinted on the left. I then sprinted for 2nd place and I could pass Carbel. "