"The cobbled classics campaign requires a lot of human investment and investment in quipment but this year we were not rewarded." FDJ manager Marc Madit was frustrated as he drew the balance of the first part of the spring for the French squad while waiting for his riders to finish Paris-Roubaix. The French classic failed to change things for the Frenchmen.

"Up to 40 kilometers to go, I think the race was going well although Mathieu Ladagnous vomited before the first cobbled sector and had to give up and although we had numerous punctures (Sarreau, Delage twice, Offredo thrice). And then Arnaud Demare punctured at the worst possible moment when the pace was really fast."

"Before my flat tire, I never panicked," Demare said. "I was always close to William Bonnet and Yoann Offredo. They did a great job to bring me back to after being caught twice behind splits and earlier in the race Murilo Fischer protected me well. I was relaxed on my bike and things were good. The peloton had a headwin in the Mons en Pévèle area and I thought it was good for me. Then when Yoann took control in Pont à Marcq, I considered to attack bu  I changed my mind, preferring to save it all for the finale .Then I flatted."

Démare is frustrated. "It was not my year even if I have the blue-white-red jersey," he said referring to his crash in the finale of Milan-Sanremo, his mechanical problem in the Tour of Flanders and now this puncture.

"The race was on," he said. "I fought hard and I managed to return to several groups. But with a puncture so close to the finish, it is impossible. I do not know what to do against this kind of bad luck but that doesn't mean that I don't like the race. In the first two sectors, I had goosebumps. I will definitely be back because I feel I can do something good there. In the end, I fought to finish 37th. The guys that I caught, had cracked but I'd still wanted to move up. But I fought for nothing. I fought because I love my job but it's frustrating."

His teammate Yoann Offredo finished a few seconds ahead of him after also having had his share of bad luck.