After a disappointing year with Belkin, Jonathan Hivert seems to be back to his best after he has joined the Bretagne team. Yesterday he finished third overall in the Tour du Haut Var after he had come very close to his first victory by winning the sprint for second behind the lone Ben Gastauer in stage 1.

"We knew everything was going to be decided on the Cote de Tuilières," he told Directvelo after the second stage. "But it was not possible to make a difference. My teammate Pierrick Fedrigo tried his luck, he got a gap, but not many riders managed to escape. I focused on the stage win. The sprint did not go as I had hoped. Unfortunately, I got boxed in. However, I am satisfied with my weekend. I was not far from the win on stage 1. I hope to continue to ride well next weekend at the Classic Sud-Ardeche and Drome Classic."