"At a certain point I thought: who am I actually cycling for?" - Arnaud De Lie on overcoming mental barriers
Cycling
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".
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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".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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