Arnaud Demare returned to the scene of his first professional win with great success when he held off some of the best sprinters in the world to win the final stage of the Tour of Qatar at the Doha Corniche. Despite not having been in the spotlight in the first part of the race, the win came as no surprise for the fast Frenchman who had felt good during the entire race.

Two years ago, Arnaud Demare took the world by storm when he proved that he was able to transform his U23 results into wins at the elite level. The newly crowned U23 world champion did so at the Doha Corniche on the final stage of the Tour of Qatar - his first race as a professional - when he beat the fastest sprinters in the world to take his first professional win.

Today Demare returned to the scene of that win and again he underlined his sprinting potential. The FDJ sprinter powered down the middle of the big boulevard to open up a big gap over his rivals for his first win of the season.

Until today, Demare hadn't been much in the spotlight in the Qatari race. On the opening day, he was 3rd in the bunch sprint for 6th behind the successful breakaway but he missed the split on stage 3. He failed to make an impact in the sprints on stages 4 and 5 and so he had mostly flown under the radar in the desert.

However, a 21st place in the time trial - a discipline that he has never excelled in - proved that he was tiding well and so he was always confident in his chances. Several crashes had seen him lose three of his teammates and the limited team support had played a crucial role in his lack of results.

Having felt good all week, he was not surprised to have won on the final day but admitted that he had again been forced to do it on his own in the finale.

"It is not a surprise," he told his team's website. "I have had good legs since the beginning of the week. In this race, it is difficult with the wind, with all the well-organized teams but I knew how to manage it. It is unusual for me not to be delivered by my teammates but it was not easy to stay together.

"This morning we decided to stay quiet until the final two laps and start to work at the beginning of the final lap. This is where it all happened. Murilo (Fischer) and Laurent (Mangel) did a very good job. Then Yoann (Offredo) remained behind me while Mika (Mickael Delage) protected me. I lost them in the last corner but I managed it on my own. I am happy. I started in a good position on the wheel of Tinkoff-Saxo. I took advantage of a small mistake and I won.

"It is obvious that I won with power," he added. "Two years ago, I wondered how to raise from the saddle and start to sprint. Now I am more experienced. It makes a difference."

Demare may mostly be known as a sprinter but he has much bigger ambitions. Last year he got his first taste of the cobbled classics and nearly made the group that sprinted for 4th place in the Tour of Flanders.

Demare hopes to be known as a classics specialist more than a fast finisher and he hopes that he will be able to show his skills when the races on the cobbles start in the near future.

"This season I prefer the classics," he said. "Last year I was there to learn. Once you know what awaits you, you know where you have to work. I have already started. I know where I am going."

"The dream is to one day win the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, the two most beautiful classic on the calendar. But I cannot say I'll do it this year. In the Tour of Flanders, there are never any surprises, and in Paris-Roubaix it would be nice to finish in the top 10 or the group that contests the win. In any case, my season has started well."

Demare may have his sights on the classics but as a sprinter confidence is needed. He gets that by winning races and so he was happy to get his season off to a good start.

"I am focused on the classics but the desire to win is permanent in all races," he said. "Here in Qatar, next week in Algarve. I need to lift my arms. But you need to make objectives because you can't be fit all season. Mine is to hit peak form from Gent-Wevelgem to Paris-Roubaix but it doesn't mean that I will not try to win before and after those races."

Demare will next do the Volta ao Algarve which starts on Wednesday.