One day after taking his first professional victory in the first stage of the Tour du Haut Var, Ben Gastauer doubled his tally when he won the two-day race overall.

"This morning I was motivated but I also felt a bit of stress," he said. "I didn't have a big advantage. But honestly, everyone was super and worked hard and when the break was gone, they controlled it perfectly. Rinaldo Nocentini and Alexis Vuillermoz were with me all day. One year after Carlos Betancur's win, we have shown that we are good in theis event. We often get good results in this region and we know the roads well.

"The team controlled the race really well. When the breakaway group left, we have handled it well and they never got too far ahead. This morning, we knew that about 40 riders were in the same time 7 seconds behind me. So there was a good chance that one of them would be in the break. That was the case with Anthony Turgis (Cofidis) but we did not panic.

"In the end, Alexis Vuillermoz and Rinaldo Nocentini helped me a lot. They also finished with me in the first group. I also had to ride a little on the Cote de Tuilières since there were many attacks. I had a little sore legs after yeserday's break but I had no excuses because the team was around me today.

"It's my first professional win with my stage victory yesterday. It's a relief because I have been close several times. 

"During our training in Var, I saw that things were not too bad and I had strength. I have taken my first two victories but I do not forget my role of being a teammate in the big races. Next weekend I'll be at the Classic South Ardeche and Drome Classic. Then I will go to Paris-Nice and the Tour of Catalonia where I will again be a domestique.

"Now we have opened the account and I hope it will motivate everyone. We have a good dynamic and the next races with the Ardêche, Drôme and Paris - Nice should suit us."