After skipping the Tour de France, Samuel Dumoulin (Ag2r) showed that he is back in good condition when he finished third in the sprint on the first stage of the Tour de l'Ain.

"I did not know if we would catch the escapees," he told Directvelo. "In the end, Nacer [Bouhanni] and his team were very strong. I was pretty good position when approaching the last corner and I took Nacer's wheel when he launched his sprint. I did not manage to come around.

"The victory of Nacer is not a surprise. He is strong but he is also very clever. He launched his effort into a turn not to be obstructed by the escapees. I remained in his wake but he is one of the best sprinters in the world and there was no chance. I jumped on the line for second place. 

"My team AG2R La Mondiale chased at the last moment to try to destabilize Cofidis. The peloton had struggled to catch the last escapees.

"Whether I an second or third does not change anything. It is a beautiful place of honor that will be good for morale because I have lacked results recently. It does not matter that I am the best regional rider but it's always fun to get on the podium. It's good to see that I am appreciated by the public in my area. 

"Tomorrow's stage has a profile similar to that of today. I have not looked at it but I know the area well. I think I will quickly find my legs. The victory remains possible even if Nacer is very fit. I'll maybe try to surprise him."