Irresistible since mid-September, Arnaud Démare has gone from success to success on the Championship of Flanders, the Isbergues Grand Prix and the Tour of Eurométropole (3 stages + a general classification victory). Taking into account these results, the French champion looks to be one of the main favourites for Paris-Tours. However, the title holder John Degenkolb has rarely come off worse against the FDJ.fr sprinter, who he beat this year on Gent-Wevelgem.
 
Arnaud Démare, you seem to be reaching a peak in form at the end of the season. How were the weeks following the end of the Tour de France for you?
It was quite difficult to recover. In fact, I raced on the Tour of Limousin and the Hamburg classic, on which I didn’t have much success. Afterwards, I took a proper break for a week and then got back to work gently via weight training sessions. As a result, I built my strength back up and started to enjoy myself again on the bike. I’ve been alternating between rest and work which has enabled me to reach the end of the season in good form, just like last year.
 
In fact, you’ve staged a veritable hold-up on your last few races...
I even surprised myself by winning all these races. It’s not easy to explain, but I’m feeling great and it’s a wonderful feeling to raise my arms as I cross the line wearing the blue, white and red jersey. I think it provides me with even more motivation to prolong the season. However, I preferred to drop out of the team for Paris-Bourges, because after all the effort I put in on the Tour of Eurométropole, I thought it would be better to save some energy for this weekend.
 
Triumph on Paris-Tours could make your season even more impressive and there promises to be an almighty struggle between yourself and John Degenkolbif there is a sprint finish on Avenue de Grammont… 
It would be great, that’s for sure. I do my utmost to win on all the races. But that will also be the main goal for Degenkolb. He did very well on the Vuelta and finished in a very respectable position at the World Championships. It proves that he is on form, but then again, so am I, and I can feel the gap closing. Last year, I finished 3rd and so I wasn’t far off victory. This year, if the team is a bit more present on the finish and I’m feeling good, I think I’ll have a great chance.