"There are good memories. Now it's also almost more stress. Let's say that to do again what I was able to do in 2020... everyone knows it was something exceptional. Now , we have to start again step by step. First go for a victory", displayed the leader of Groupama-FDJ in a press conference.
The 30-year-old runner has not yet won this season even though he has shown a flush form, especially in Milan-Sanremo (10th).
"Physically I feel good, it's true. Since the beginning of the year, I have really good legs. It's cycling: sometimes you can feel good and not manage to win", observes he.
Can he open his counter on Friday in Visegrad (Hungary) where the first stage ends with an uphill finish (3.8 km at 5% average gradient)?
"Many sprinters will be at the top, he predicts. Now, I don't know if we will still be able to sprint, that's something else. But it's true that in the profile of the roadbook, we expected harder. It's still hard but it's not insurmountable. We did it on a bike, it's still rolling."
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