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and reflecting on the Tour -I look forward to going to the cows,
Tour of Denmark next for De Lie (after he's seen the cows of course)."When you get to the Tour, the first thing you say to yourself is that you hate so hard (smile). But now that it's over, I already feel like coming back. It's the biggest race in the world, on which everyone dreams of winning. I didn't go far, but I learned a lot. We will have to make a few more adjustments in the future and I will come back next year to seek a victory."
Yep, he's still down for Denmark on Wednesday - 4 sprints and a TTT (and yes, TTT is down for the TTT).
"Mathieu likes to tease me a bit," reveals De Lie on Het Nieuwsblad. The Belgian is seven years younger than Van der Poel. "I think he's a really good guy. Someone who proves: having fun is the most important thing and with the fun come the results. That's also my attitude."
"I remember that in my first years as a pro I didn't really dare to talk to him, I didn't have the balls to approach the big riders," the Lotto Dstny rider continued about his development in his relationship with MVDP. "But in the past Tour we often cycled next to each other. In the breakaway, in the gruppetto or just in the race. In the Tour there is time to really talk."
Despite cancelling few of his recent race appointments due to an illness, Arnaud De Lie should still make a race appearance before the end of the 2024 season. While De Lie takes a week off to recover, he's expected to appear in the Belgian tricolor on home roads of Binche-Chimay-Binche (October 1) and later at Paris-Tours.
"Arnaud got a bit sick. Not to say that he really had the flu or anything, but he had been feeling a bit off for a few races," Lotto Dstny team manager Dirk Demol explains to WielerFlits. The team had to remove two more appointments from De Lie's programme to let him recover: "The problem is: Arnaud always shows a lot of commitment, he always wants to go for it. We really had to decide in consultation to cancel those two races for him." But if the disease had been dormant for so long, how come De Lie was one of the few who could follow Tadej Pogacar on the final climb of the Grand Prix of Québec? "That actually makes what he did there even more impressive. I really have enormous admiration for the rider Arnaud De Lie is. He always has morale. That's why we had to intervene. He's a fighter, you know."
Original article at https://www.wielerflits.be/nieuws/b...oeidheid-maar-zijn-temperament-siert-hem-ook/When you see that it is no longer possible and he is exhausted, the decision to take him out of races for a while is quite an easy one to make. Normally he will still start in his own region in Binche-Chimay-Binche and Paris-Tours, so that he can still end the season on a positive note."
He's also riding Binche-Chimay-Binche today, no?He's still down for Münsterland Giro on Thursday (Oct 3) and Paris-Tours (with it's gravelly bits) on Sunday (Oct 6).
Yes indeed!He's also riding Binche-Chimay-Binche today, no?
Well, good thing that he did 😁Yes indeed!
“I didn’t feel great in the morning. I didn’t have great legs during the first two or three hours of the race, but on the local circuit my legs unblocked. The longer the race lasted, the better I got," De Lie assessed honestly in his post-race interview. "Maybe that was because of the lack of racing rhythm. The team rode a good final, we were always at the front when we had to be."
"At the start of the sprint I saw Tim Merlier move up. I got on his wheel. I tried to tackle the sprint as best I could," the Belgian says of the finale. "Jasper Philipsen started the real sprint first and Danny van Poppel reacted. I was on his wheel. When Van Poppel sat down, I launched my sprint. I came back quickly and then I knew I would make it. I’m happy that I was able to win, it’s my first victory in Wallonia as Belgian champion. And I’m also leaving some great names behind me.”
“It’s always a tough race here. There was a lot of wind and not immediately in the right direction. You have to be well positioned for the climb on the local lap every time. Both for the risk of crashes and echelons. But due to a lack of wind, there was no real selection," De Lie concludes. "I've been sick the past few weeks and have had problems with my lungs. You have to stay mentally motivated. That's what I did: last week I trained for five hours in the rain. That paid off."
With grim reports from race organisers and rain forecasted for the weekend in Northern France, we might up for a race as exciting as the 2021 Paris-Roubaix. One of the race's big favourites, Arnaud De Lie is in favor of a havoc such as the one that could be created by muddy gravel segments and strong wind.
"Firstly, we will have to avoid punctures and mechanical problems, that will be very important! We will have to see how the race goes. If it is really unleashed, we will have to be in a more offensive mode. But if it is less chaotic like the last two years, I will have to be more reserved. But it depends each year... if we have to choose one of the two situations, I prefer a fairly chaotic race where it is played man against man," declared De Lie. "I have never participated in Paris-Tours with rain. When it is good autumn weather with rain and wind, it can cause a lot of damage and a very tough race. We will perhaps find ourselves more in a situation comparable to the Tro-Bro Leon, man against man. It is something that could really suit me. We know that in Paris-Tours the risks of echelons are very present. I hope there will be a bit of wind to play with the laws of physics and make echelons," he added.
The goal is to get to the classics of Flanders in the best possible way. I hope to be okay for the first classics to be held in Valencia which is where I'm going to debut this year. I hope to arrive in Spain in good shape and looking for my peak that should arrive in the spring classics.
Q. Last year he stayed out of Flanders and Roubaix. How can you win in the Northern Hell?
A. We have to follow Alpecin (smile). It's been two years winning and it's Roubaix's best team. The truth is, being on Van Der Poel wheel is not that easy. The two monuments are important, but there are classics like Omloop Het Nieuwsblad or Ghent-Wevelgem that are great targets for me.
Q. Is the Tour de France so hard?
A. Too much. It's *** tough. It's 21 days you go with everything. You have to be well placed always or else you may not get to the finish line. It's a very tough experience, but I'm happy with how things got out.
does this mean he will race Flanders?Spanish Marca chats with De Lie - (googling translation)
https://www.marca.com/ciclismo/tour-francia/2024/11/10/lie-suerte-enfrentarme-pogacar.html
Sounds like it but it's a long time away.does this mean he will race Flanders?
An opening flat stage in Lille Métropole in particular means sprinters will have an additional carrot to chase in 2025 – the first yellow jersey of the race.
“It's very rare that the first stage is a sprint,” noted De Lie.
“It's always chaotic, so we will see what happens in that first stage but I think to win on the Champs-Élysées is bigger. It is very special to win in Paris so I think if I have to choose, for sure, I'd take the Champs-Élysées.”
When asked what he wanted to achieve in the season ahead outside the Tour de France goals, De Lie’s response was “to be in shape for the Flemish Classics – it's really a big goal next year.
“When I say to be in good shape, it's not to win, but just to be in the fight for the victory. It's a big goal for next year to be present at all the Flemish Classic, starting at Nieuwsblad until Paris Roubaix.”
He could try to win both first and last stages. Although it will be tough to beat Jasperhttps://www.cyclingnews.com/news/id-take-the-champs-elysees-arnaud-de-
Paris over Lille for De Lie otherwise it's Spring Classics as main objective -
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/id...our-de-france-rather-than-the-first-in-lille/
I hope he's at 100% for the Tour as he might not win a stage, but somehow it'll be entertaining!He could try to win both first and last stages. Although it will be tough to beat Jasper
Yes...entertaining for sure. I guess his best chances are short uphill finishes.I hope he's at 100% for the Tour as he might not win a stage, but somehow it'll be entertaining!
Realistically De Lie has little chance to grab the green jersey.If MvdP and WvA decide to go for the Green Jersey then it'll be tough for De Lie.
I was thinking more of getting a stage win!Realistically De Lie has little chance to grab the green jersey.
If MvdP and WvA decide to go for the Green Jersey then it'll be tough for De Lie.