First to kick out on the finishing straight was Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ), who opened a significant gap on the others. With the wind blowing from the right side in Six-Fours-les-Plages, Davide Ballerini timed it perfectly and surged down the barriers some 150 meters from the line, shooting past the Frenchman and opening his 2021 account, thus giving the Wolfpack a perfect start to the season.

“I had good legs coming into the race after the training camp, but I didn’t expect anything like this. We have a very strong team for this race and are all extremely motivated, so to get the win on the first day is just great. A big thank you goes to all the guys, because they put in an incredible effort and were pretty special the entire day.”

“The final wasn’t easy. Démare took six meters, but I found the space to come back, as well as the speed I needed to pass him. To win so early, and in front of one of last year’s best sprinters, is good for the confidence and brings me a lot of joy”, added Ballerini, who on Friday will sport the race’s Mondrian-style leader’s jersey.

At the front, Ballerini delivered a pitch-perfect sprint to see off the challenge of Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) and maintain a perfect track record at his first race of the year. On top of that, he became the first rider in the Tour de la Provence’s history to score consecutive stage wins.

“When you see how this team works, you feel that you have to give your best and fight for the victory until the very last moment. Just look at their effort: they were incredible, the only team to work tirelessly at the front until the final kilometer and keep me up there. The sprint was hard, but I fought until the last ounce of energy and I’m glad I could repay these amazing guys. This win is for the team”, said Davide, who in addition to the overall standings, also leads the points classification.