You can n't keep a good man down!Trained 3h on the MTB today. Thought he needed to rest untill he was fully recovered.
The Cycling News forum is still looking to add volunteer moderators with. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to
In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.
Thanks!
You can n't keep a good man down!Trained 3h on the MTB today. Thought he needed to rest untill he was fully recovered.
"Lyme disease was one thing, but there was also the fall in Le Samyn and his DNF at Paris-Nice," Van de Wouwer explains. "Because of that accumulation, Arnaud needed a real reset. Now he can calmly build up and the intention is that he can return to competition at the end of April or the beginning of May."
Mentally it has not been an easy period for De Lie, who also seemed to be suffering from pressure. "He has contributed to this a bit by winning so much in recent years, which means that expectations are extremely high. I think that if he can cycle again in normal and healthy conditions, the results will follow again. The class is there, we have no doubt about that."
I don't get him doing the Tour this year apart from getting experience. What we know about the Tour 2025 so far, it could be more fitting for him.De Lie returns to racing at the Famenne Ardenne Classic this Sunday. ... “There is no pressure and no stress. To put it bluntly: whether he wins a race this year or not doesn't matter to us. What matters to us is that he gets going again. We also leave the answer to the question of whether he will ride the Tour open. He is in the pre-selection and we will keep it that way.
“I am very happy with this victory,” opened an emotional De Lie in his post-race interview. “I have gone through a difficult period. I don't really have words for it right now. I want to thank everyone who has continued to follow me. This is certainly a liberation after I could not win this season.”
Speaking pre-race, De Lie was unsure if he could reach a level high enough to compete for victory and even during the race, the Belgian was struggling. “I didn't feel good in the opening phase. But it was tough for everyone. The strong wind made it difficult," he explains. "I know the course well, which was to my advantage. I also got better during the race and my teammates gave me a lot of confidence. As a team we rode a very strong race. I am happy that I was able to finish it effectively.”
“It was a very difficult sprint with the headwind. The plan was that I would sprint and Maxim van Gils would be in my wheel. He could then come out if I was carpaccio, if I was broken," De Lie concludes. "However, I saw that Axel Zingle started the sprint very early and so I followed him. Then I went over it at the right time. Luckily I was able to keep it until the finish. This is very good for confidence. That confidence was somewhat lost when I was having a hard time. I feel like that's back a bit now. This is a great first step.”
"Especially because we didn't know what was going on at first. Usually, I recover from a race after two days, but this time my legs just kept hurting. The Lyme diagnosis clarified a lot, and I could immediately start with antibiotics, but at the same time, it's scary," De Lie admitted in a press release issued by the team. "Everyone knows it can be serious. It weighed on me mentally. If you break a collarbone, for example, you know what you're up against. With a positive Lyme test, you know nothing. How long have I had it, will it take long, how severely does it affect me? I was lucky that it was short-lived for me, but then I had to regain some joy in cycling. I did a small training camp in Nice, enjoyed the sun, and the good feeling slowly returned."
Last week, De Lie returned to racing at the Lotto Famenne Ardenne Classic and took a strong victory, a perfect return to racing and boost to his confidence. The 21-year old does not believe he has his best form yet, but it could be enough to battle for the wins at both GP du Morbihan and Tro-Bro Léon.
"Is everything going well? Is something still wrong? Or can I fully commit again? It's an understatement to say that the victory in Famenne was very important to me," the Belgian argues. "It gives me a lot of motivation."
Tro Bro Leon - 2 punctures and chasing to get back, then the insanely strong sprint (loved the look under the arm to check where everyone was) - yep, he's back!What a monster! Really impressive again. Looks like his struggles are behind.
"After my first flat tire I had no idea where I was in the race, but I kept riding. When I came back to the front, I attacked for the first time to make a small selection. But afterwards I had another puncture. We had to chase continuously, but the team did very well, and I remained very calm. You know you can come back in these types of races," he told Het Nieuwsblad.
Then, on gravel sector of La Ferme, De Lie accelerated again. "I still felt very good, and that's why I attacked again. So we came out ahead with three. We worked well together, but another group came back. Afterwards I also remained super calm in the sprint: I did not make the same mistake as last year, did not start sprinting from the lead position. When I started, I felt that I still had very good legs."
the conti 1.1 king is back (winning conti 1.1's)
continental is all the same to meTro Bro Leon is literally 1.Pro.
It's the way the guy wins too. It's not some leadout train powering the last kms and dropping him off to sprint for a win. It's chaotic, messy, chasing down guys and like today starting from 4th or 5th with no lead out man.14th win of a 1.1 race for De Lie. Hirschi is at just 6, no competition.
Absolutely this. Like, clearly he needs to show that he has what it takes to win the big races. But on a lower level he shows things that have that wow factor for me, like mvdp in his early days. There, I said it.It's the way the guy wins too. It's not some leadout train powering the last kms and dropping him off to sprint for a win. It's chaotic, messy, chasing down guys and like today starting from 4th or 5th with no lead out man.
For some reason he's down for Tour de Suisse with Van Gils and Lenny VE. Training for the Tour I suppose, but I cann't see him winning on the Gotthard Pass!
14th win of a 1.1 race for De Lie. Hirschi is at just 6, no competition.