FDJ sports director Martial Gayant was pleased with his troops in the GPNobili Rubinetterie which was won by Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Factory). He saw his riders being part of the action and giving signs of good condition.

"In the morning, I went to all the rooms to tell them that this race was likely to finish with a sprint and that it was an opportunity to have fun," Gayant said. "They followed my advice and they all rode back to the hotel on their bikes

"The race was very fast, 48 km/h in the first two hours. Jussi Veikkanen was in a group of 27 riders but Movistar that focused everything on Valverde, and AG2R-La Mondiale who had no one in the group, rode hard and everything was back together with 25 kilometers to go.

"Valverde attacked in the first part of the final climb, followed by a group of 20 riders which contained Kenny Elissonde. In the second half, the Spaniard attacked with Rebellin (CCC-Sprandi), but a small platoon of forty riders was formed behind. We had Benoît Vaugrenard, Kenny and Alexandre Geniez. The latter two have just finished a training camp with Sébastien Joly in Menton and they seem to be good for the Volta a Catalunya where they have a good card to play. In the second group, we had Matthieu Ladagnous, Jussi and Johan Le Bon who is getting better."