Having already been a protagonish in the Etoile de Besseges, Loic Chetout continued his great start to his professional career when he made it into the decisive breakaway in the first stage of the Tour du Haut Var.

"I'm happy with my day," he told Directvelo. "After my crashes at the Challenge de Mallorca and the Etoile de Bessèges and after my 10 days without competition, I did not know how my form was. When it rains, I prefer to be in the break rather than blocking my legs in the bunch. Luckily, our athletic director asked me to be in front today. We rode well (averaging around 300 watts). Before the Mur de Montauroux, Ben Gastauer accelerated and I cracked. In any case, I would have been distanced from the breakaway on the climb. The peloton was approaching so I decided to sit up."