As riders took the stage for the Paris-Roubaix team presentation on a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon in Compiègne, the crowd favourites were four-time winner Tom Boonen (Quick-Step Floors), world champion Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and home rider Arnaud Démare (FDJ).
The latter carries the hope of the French nation in the 'Queen of the Classics'. It's been twenty years since the last French winner of Paris-Roubaix, Frédéric Guesdon.
"It would be good if Démare would win, not only for him but also for French cycling," Guesdon told Cyclingnews on Saturday afternoon. Whether Démare will be able to live up to the hopes of his fans remains a question. The 25-year-old rode rather anonymously through Gent-Wevelgem and Flanders, and skipped the bunch sprint in Wednesday's Scheldeprijs to avoid the risks of a crash. Démare's best result so far in Roubaix was a 12th place in 2014.
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The 2016 winner of Milano-Sanremo is determined for a good result in his fourth Paris-Roubaix participation.
"My goal is to have fun and hunt down a good result. Anything is possible. Right now I would be happy with sixth, seventh, 15th or the podium," Démare said on Saturday afternoon. "It's really the race circumstances that decide the outcome. Last year I was really happy with my race, even though I cracked at 20 kilometres from the finish. I had my share of bad luck in the last two editions.
"I think I've got a chance. John Degenkolb wasn't the big favourite when he won the race. I've got a good sprint in my legs when we arrive in a small group. It'll be about hanging on to the maximum and push until the line."
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