Arnaud Demare (FDJ) looked strong when he was the first rider to start the sprint in stage 13 of the Tour de France but the Frenchman faded completely on the steep climb to the finish.

"I wanted to be in front but perhaps the climb was a bit harded than I thought. I was there but the stage was hard and I paid for the fatigue," he said.

"I was well-placed at the right time , but 500 meters was too much. There was a small hesitation and I wanted to try. Unfortunately, the fatigue from the long day made my legs explode.

"This heat today was impressive. I do not know how much time we spent in the cars but it was madness so much we went to pick up bottles. After 20 minutes you already needed more water. The commissaires were annoyed because we came for bottles but we had to stay hydrated. I think this is the kind of stage that will be in the legs for a long time. So the finale was hard but in this heat the entire stage was difficult. "

His teammate Alexandre Geniez had been part of the early break.

" I was super motivated to be in front today," he said. "It's not every day that the Tour de France arrives at your home. Furthermore, all the conditions were favorable for me to be in the break. We were not too many, I have not had to fight a lot to be there, it was interesting. "There was a good cooperation with riders like Kelderman and De Gendt. There were some very good riders, I thought the group could make it until we started to attack. We should have worked together until the final climb. Then we would not have lost so much time. The front duo (Kelderman and Gautier) lost too much in the finale.

"For my part,my legs were anyway not the best today with the heat and then after the Giro. If I had been in great shape on a day like this, I would have had more chances. Despite the disappointment, I actually really had fun. I had supporters all over the road. It was a beautiful day. Tomorrow I will feel it in the legs. But if I spend the day without incident, I will try to join a breakaway by the end of this Tour ."