Demare's feats slightly lost in Sagan furore

Arnaud Demare (FDJ) took his first ever Tour de France victory in the crash-marred finale of Stage 4. But the achievements didn't end there.

Arnaud Demare wins stage 4 of the 2017 Tour de France (Getty) Source: Getty Images Europe

It is the first time a Frenchman has won a bunch sprint since Cofidis' Jimmy Casper in Strasbourg, 2006. 

"It's amazing," said Demare. "A dream since I turned pro in 2014. I lost Jacopo Guarnieri to a fall at 600 metres so I was a little worried it was hard for the victory, but I had good legs." 

"I've won some great races already but this one is huge because the Tour does not just touch the world of cycling but the general public."

It was also a pretty huge win for the team.

Un immense merci à @Francetvsport et à @bricebaubit pour ces images magiques du bus FDJ à l'arrivée ! 🍀 #TDF2017 ➡️ https://t.co/1DO4QlLuEE pic.twitter.com/H3KcuwHqaQ — Equipe FDJ (@EquipeFDJ) July 4, 2017

"We've been working with him for a long time on the sprint," FDJ director Marc Madiot said. "Winning on the Tour is a must. We work a lot to be at the top to take Arnaud to the line." 

Demare now leads the green jersey points classification competition by 43 points over yesterday's leader Marcel Kittel. Australia's Michael Matthews sits third on 66 points.

Arnaud Demare looking old school after moving into the green jersey at the 2017 Tour de France (Getty) Source: Getty Images Europe

It is the first time a Frenchman has donned the green jersey since Sylvain Chavanel in 2010. That same year was also the last time the red-white-blue jersey was worn to a Tour stage victory via Thomas Voeckler in Luchon. It's only the second time the French national champion has worn green since Bernard Hinault in 1978. 

Winning the green jersey overall was always a goal for Demare this year, which the team admits is "all the more possible" after the exit of Peter Sagan.

It would be the first time a Frenchman has won the classification since Laurent Jalabert in 1995.