Arnaud De Lie wants to take on classics step-by-step in the future: "I think in classics such as Omloop Nieuwsblad it's possible to win"

As the 2024 season is getting into a full swing, it's also almost about the time to see Arnaud De Lie back on the road again. After a year in which he scored numerous top results at races such as Omloop Nieuwsblad, European Championships and GP de Québec, the 21-year-old Belgian won't be viewed as a 'rookie' anymore. The big ambition is classics, De Lie reveals in an interview for Portuguese Cycling Magazine.

"Everyone thinks I'm a pure sprinter, but in my career I've only won two pure sprints. They are not my specialty, I prefer to sprint at the end of hard races," he wants to make clear a regular misunderstanding of his ridertype.

De Lie takes an example in his famous compatriot Tom Boonen. "Every corner in a Flanders classic is important, so for 200 kilometers you have to sprint for every corner. It’s also important to have a lot of experience," he knows that becoming a top rider in classics will be a long run.

Speaking about his current goals, there's still some work to do to be competitive on the biggest classics. "I don't have much experience in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, but I think in all the other classics, such as Omloop Nieuwsblad, Le Samyn and Dwars door Vlanderen, it is possible to win. We have the team for that."