Mickael Delage gave his FDJ.fr team-mate Arnaud Demare the perfect lead-out and opened the sprint from a perfect position during the closing stages of yesterday’s Paris-Tours.

However, John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano) was well-placed on Demare’s wheel and when the German put down the hammer, the outcome was never in doubt. Degenkolb took a very convincing win while Mørkøv (Saxo-Tinkoff) did a good sprint to snatch 2nd from Demare who acknowledged that he may have opened the sprint a tad too soon. Nonetheless, the 22-year-old Frenchman was pleased to finish the day on the podium.

"Taking into consideration that this is my first participation at the Paris-Tours, it is a pride to finish in third place,” Demare told L’Èquipe. “But I'm a little disappointed to be passed by. John [Degenkolb] was really strong. He was in the break of the final and I went there too, because I did not want to take the risk of missing the shot. The sprint? I started very early, perhaps a bit too early. With only 'Micka' to support me, it was a bit lonely. But it's still very satisfying to be on the podium."