Démare, who won Milan-San Remo last month, is one of the best French cobbled classics riders. But after his crash at the Tour of Flanders, the FDJ sprinter is not certain to be present at the start of Paris-Roubaix.

He was one of the many riders who crashed before the start of the major cobbled climbs in the race. Démare suffered road rash on his back and legs. He was trying to get back on bike, but after a couple of kilometers, he decided to withdraw from the race. He was taken to hospital.

"He’s got road rash all over him. He was holding the bars with one hand as he was about to get his bidon but he didn’t see a hole in the road, his wheel turned and he went down", FDJ directeur sportif Martial Gayant told l’Equipe. "We don’t know how he’ll feel after the crash but it’s definitely a handicap. He’ll take a couple of days to see how he stiff he feels."

Although these injuries are superficial, Démare will take the start of Wednesday's Scheldeprijs race where he will see if he can do Paris-Roubaix.