In a typical, very nervous race that he won in 2012, Arnaud Démare took sixth place in the bunch sprint won by Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) at the Vattenfall Cyclassics.

Before the final, the race had been marred by a big crash 30 kilometers from the finish, imvolving for FDJ Francis Mourey, Johan Le Bon and Cédric Pineau.

"Francis saw the crash," says sports director Martial Gayant. "He stopped without falling but others have crashed into him and he hurt his thigh. Cédric Pineau broke two teeth and I had to take him to hospital. He will be treated in France by a dentist on Monay. Finally Johan Le Bon got hurt in the thigh and was taken to another hospital. When I went to pick him up, it was a psychiatric hospital taking care of alcoholics. He undewent x-rays but only suffers from a contracture of the thigh."

The race, of course, continued and while some of his teammates could not assist him, Arnaud Démare took advantage of the great work of a super Arnold Jeannesson who supported his sprinter until the last kilometer.

"It was expected that Sébastien Chavanel could make this work too," says Gayant. "But in terms of his recovery, he cracked after 180 km. In the sprint, which was intense with two crashes involving notably Cavendish, Arnaud did well. He followed the train of Etixx-Quick Step and Tom Boonen's team that was somehow his lead-out. Sixth in these circumstances is not bad! "