It was too hard for him. French sprinter Arnaud Démare failed to finish the 19th and penultimate stage of the Tour de France within the time limit set by the organizers. The rider from the Arkéa-B&B Hôtels team arrived last, 55 minutes and 46 seconds behind the day’s winner, Tadej Pogacar. He was therefore demoted and will not start the 20th stage on Saturday in Nice.
“I fought until the end, I gave it my all,” the Picard confided to France 2 following his arrival. It’s been since the Col de la Bonnette (the second climb of the day out of three) that I suspected it wasn’t going to work. Crossing the line is important, I’m not the type to give up.” In his bubble and completely drained, Démare even asked the journalists the identity of the winner of the day.
Having arrived eight minutes following the set time limit, he has no hope of being in the repechage. The former Groupama-FDJ rider would not have been able to make an impact on the last two days of racing anyway, with a mountain stage on Saturday and a time trial on Sunday. Unlike other editions, the sprinters do not, in fact, benefit from a final opportunity to shine.
