"At a certain point I thought: who am I actually cycling for?" - Arnaud De Lie on overcoming mental barriers

Arnaud De Lie was a very talented young rider when he turned pro, but the pressure coming from Belgian media and being the leader of a Belgian team has led to a lot of issues. Now at age 23 he talks through how he's overcome some of his non-cycling challenges.

"I have tried to accept those low points, which has not been easy. At a certain point I thought: who am I actually cycling for? People have expectations, but I almost did it for the others and not for myself. I do that now," he said in an interview with Sporza. "Now I try to get the positive out of the negative. That is what I focus on and that has to come from yourself. People can encourage you, but if you are convinced that it will not work, then it will not work".

In the past, mainly due to injuries, he's had setbacks that have prevented him from fighting for results. Often this led to a lot of disappointment and pressure, and he's had to look for other ways to tackle the obstacles. "My goals don't have to be focused on results. I have to be satisfied and proud above all. When I won my places of honour at the start of the season in the Algarve I was always angry, but that wasn't the right attitude and it didn't help me".

Part of how he's dealt with this better is to stay away from reading what's written in the media and stay away from the comments on his racing. "It's hard to shut yourself off from that. You see things passing by, but when I got up I didn't think 'I'll have a look at what they write about me in the newspaper'. I try to distance myself from it and I've worked hard on myself. I've looked for what gives me pleasure". 

"You have to learn to assess what is being said to or about you. If people say that you have to perform better, then you can be angry and you can wonder why they are making that accusation. That's one way to do it. I took it too personally and set the bar too high".

With the national championships and Tour de France coming ahead, it will be a highly important moment of the year for the Lotto rider, who has the chance of achieving great things as well. "I live more in the moment. Sometimes the Tour does cross my mind, but don't ask me about the order of the first 10 stages. I will do that after the Belgian Championship".

He was also asked about the potential interesting from several teams already, but with a contract until the end of the 2026 season, he opts to say nothing about it. "It does not leave me warm or cold. I am still under contract and I am a man of my word. A contract is a contract. And for the rest, it is step by step: first the Belgian Championships, then the Tour and then my future".