French sprinter Arnaud Démare, winner of Milan-San Remo and two stages of the Tour de France, announces his retirement at 34

The Arkea B&B Hotels rider announced Thursday on his social networks that he would hang up the bike after participating in his last race, Paris-Tours, scheduled for Sunday.

A page turns. French cyclist Arnaud Démare announced on his social networks, Thursday, October 9, that he would hang up his bike on Sunday, at the end of the Paris-Tours race which he chose as the end point of a career that began in 2012, and which he won twice (in 2021 and 2022). Sprinter at Arkea B&B Hotels since August 2023Arnaud Démare was previously trained and then raced under the colors of the FDJ for twelve seasons.

It is within Marc Madiot's training that Picard has won almost all of his 97 victories. This total success ishe third highest for active runners behind Tadej Pogacar (107) and the Norwegian Alexander Kristoff (98), who has also just announced his retirement. “I started cycling at 6 years old. I had the chance to live my dream, to win big races and to proudly represent French cycling at the highest level. I never imagined achieving all that”, he wrote in his message.

The 34-year-old rider has, among other things, a Monument (Milan-San Remo in 2016), two stage victories on the Grande Boucle (in Pau in 2018 and Vittel in 2017) and two cyclamen jerseys, rewarding the winner of the points classification at the Giro, in 2020 and 2022. On the Italian Grand Tour, Arnaud Démare lifted the arms eight times. He also won Paris-Tours twice (2021 and 2022), the 4 days of Dunkirk (2013 and 2014) and the Tour du Poitou-Charente (2018 and 2020).

He had left “by mutual agreement” the FDJ at the end of summer 2023, irritated at not having been aligned by Marc Madiot in the Tour de France. Within the Arkea-B&B Hotels team, Arnaud Démare was able to return to the roads of the Grande Boucle in 2024 and 2025, securing the top 10 on two stages in 2024. The sprinter won four victories in the Breton jersey, but none in 2025. He will have one last chance on Sunday, with the opportunity to equal the record of victories in the famous French Classic of Dead Leaves.