Arnaud De Lie excited for cold, rainy and windy Omloop Het Nieuwsblad: "That makes the race harder for the others. And not for me"

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is only 24 hours away and one of the riders most excited for it is Arnaud De Lie. The Lotto Dstny made his debut last year and finished second, not only does he want to be part of the mix as well but he believes in his own strengths in the tough weather that will mark the race.

“It's not important how I win. As long as I win. I would of course have preferred to win already, but who will remember in a few months that I was bad in the Jaén Interior?" De Lie said in conversation with Het Nieuwsblad, where he also explained why he spent long weeks training atop the Teide volcano recently. “Some thought I would become a climber. But we trained the same as last year, only the location was different. You shouldn't try something else when you're 37 years old. You have to do that when you're young."

The 21-year old comes into Belgium without much racing in his legs, but as a big favourite. Last year he proved himself to be a great puncheur in the Muur de Geraardsbergen and in other races - such as the European Championships where he impressively led out Wout van Aert. A strong sprinter, he will be a dangerous rider for Team Visma | Lease a Bike or any other rivals he might find on the road. For both races on the Opening Weekend he will be a man to watch.

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“For me it is not important how I win. As long as I win. A teammate can even win, that's just as good," he says. The Belgian team also has the likes of Victor Campenaerts, Jasper de Buyst and Brent van Moer to play; although not key specialist Florian Vermeersch who recently suffered a fractured pelvis in a crash.

The race will take place under low temperatures, likely rain and strong wind. This will make it extra hard but De Lie has a positive outlook on it and believes he can take an advantage from it. "I'm looking forward to the announced bad weather. That makes the race harder for the others. And not for me."