After a third place in the prologue, FDJ sprint talent Marc Sarreau was hoping for more in the first stage of the Tour de l'Ain but a late puncture destroyed his race.

"I had a puncture six kilometers from the finish," he told Directvelo. "The time to change the wheel was too much so my race was over. It was so fast. I returned to the peloton and it allows me to keep the white jersey. It is frustrating. Kévin Reza, Arnaud Courteille and Fabien Doubey were there to help me. We had all the cards to express ourselves. It's a shame. I was not good early in the stage stagem then it went better and better then. When a sprinter gets closer to the line, he finds resources. But today I could not play my card. "