Teams & Riders Arnaud De Lie is De Truth Discussion Thread

[Rob5091]

Needs more km's in the legs -
https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...de-lie-fades-early-at-kuurne-bruxelles-kuurne

For Lotto, the script had been clear: increase the pace in the decisive terrain to reduce the sprint field and give De Lie a manageable finale.
Instead, the Belgian was among those who slipped out of contention as the race intensified.
Visbeek suggested the explanation may lie as much in Saturday at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad as Sunday. “This could be a reaction from yesterday. He went deep then. It’s also a matter of race hardness that he’s still missing at the moment.”
That race hardness is central to the broader picture. De Lie spent the off-season working his way back from an ankle injury, and his build-up to the spring was described internally as tight.

 

[Rob5091]

Hope for no mechanicals or punctures for Arnaud so he can see his form at GW or whatever it's called now!

 

[Rob5091]

So no Ronde and all we get is "ill" ... umm.
https://www.domestiquecycling.com/e...ng-wait-for-tour-of-flanders-debut-continues/

 

[Rob5091]

"Ill" could be anything from hungover to aneurysm or even cowpox in Arnaud's case so it does seem a bit vague, n'est-ce pas?

 

[Panda Claws]

Bro

 

[Rob5091]

So what's the problem for Arnaud?
https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...d-spring-campaign-in-a-row-didnt-go-unnoticed

The million-dollar question is then; What's wrong with De Lie? In 2024, we were retroactively offered an explanation through a Lyme disease. Last year, De Lie was caught up in a training crash during pre-season camp, suffering a mild knee injury.
"There is always a reason behind a rider's poorer performance," Tom Boonen clarifies. "Sometimes we know that reason, and sometimes we don't."

 

[Red Rick]

And sometimes, Boonen fails to realise Lyme disease has several long lasting effects that would really negatively affect a professional athlete.

A lot depends on how quickly they treated the Lyme disease, and if they only found it out very late that's proper ***

 

[Rob5091]

He's had a wisdom tooth pulled and it's off to the Giro and Tour and TdS! Did not have that on my bingo card.
https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...ound-with-an-unexpected-giro-tour-combination

...while many would expect the 24-year-old to take a racing break and dive into training with aim of coming back stronger in summer, De Lie has different plans. As Het Laatse Nieuws reports, De Lie should rider the Giro-Tour double this year! De Lie, currently taking a short break after having a wisdom tooth removed, will first ride the Lotto Famenne Ardenne Classic in his home region on May 3, a race he has already won twice in 2023 and 2024. Between the Giro and the Tour, he is also scheduled to participate in the Tour de Suisse (June 17-21).