Adrien Petit was hit by hard luck for his Tour de France debut. The rider from Arras crashed on the cobbles of stage 5 and started from his hometown the next day with bruises and pain but also a strong motivation to go as far as possible in the race of his dreams.

"I've recovered from my crash. The worst thing was I had to recuperate in tricky stages. In the Vosges, in the stage to Mulhouse and then to La Planches des Belles Filles, it was a hard suffering," the former under-23 world silver medallist said.

"It was not an ordeal because it's just great to be here without the crowds, the media, everything is ten times bigger," said the Cofidis rider.

Winner of the Tro Bro Leon this season, Petit is back in shape but still worried by the mouton stages hardly ideal for such a tall rider. The "grupetto" will be his daily routine in the Pyrenees.   

The 1.87-metres- tall rider would have loved to go in a break. But he missed them all. He also hoped to take part in the sprint in Nimes. In vain.   

"And then, the real achievement for me would be to make it all the way to the Champs-Elysées. It would make me very proud. But first I need to go past the mountains," added Petit, who lost team leader Daniel Navarro on Friday in Chamrousse.