With Arnaud Demare and his FDJ team winless in 2015, pressure is slowly building ahead of the biggest one-day race in the world, Paris-Roubaix, for the French team. 

"Of course, it's normal. It puts a bit more pressure on my shoulders that we haven't won a race yet, because that's why we're here: to win races," Démare told Cyclingnews. "We haven't won a race as a team. Personally I've had good legs so far this season, and as a team we've been up there a lot. We've got a lot of good riders, that's not in question, so if we get a bit of success things will take off from there."

Demare was twelfth in the Hell of the north last year, raising hopes of the first French winner of Paris-Roubaix since Frederic Guesdon in 1997. Demare, just 23, says he believes he can win Roubaix next week.

“Yes, in cycling you have to believe,” Démare said. “If you don't believe you can win then there's no point in even starting. I believe I can do it, why not?"