This Sunday, Arnaud Démare will be one of the favorites for victory in Paris-Tours. The FDJ.fr rider, who raised his arms 15 times this year, is confident and thinks he can beat the best, including the German John Degenkolb (Giant Shimano).

“It would be great, that’s for sure. I do my utmost to win on all the races. But that will also be the main goal for Degenkolb. He did very well on the Vuelta and finished in a very respectable position at the World Championships. It proves that he is on form, but then again, so am I.“ Demare told CyclingTips.

“I can feel the gap closing. Last year, I finished third and so I wasn’t far off victory. This year, if the team is a bit more present on the finish and I’m feeling good, I think I’ll have a great chance.”

This season, he won two stages plus the overall in both the Four Days of Dunkirk and the Tour de Picardie, then won Halle Ingooigem and the French road race championships ahead his rival Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ.fr).