Fabian Cancellara on Arnaud De Lie: "in Belgium, as soon as you're winning bike races, boom, you're straightaway in the spotlight"

As Arnaud De Lie tests himself against stronger and stronger competition his talent becomes more apparent. The Lotto Dstny had a brilliant stint at the Opening Weekend and Fabian Cancellara worries his success may lead to immense pressure.

"Arnaud De Lie was impressive on Saturday and it’s nice to see a young rider performing at that level. Of course, in Belgium, as soon as you're winning bike races, boom, you're straightaway in the spotlight, and then it's hard to deal with the pressure. So it’s important to be patient, too, and give him time to develop," Cancellara told Cyclingnews. 

De Lie had taken wins early in the year, including Etoile de Bessèges where he beat Mads Pedersen, and also shown strong climbing qualities. Hence, it was not much surprise when he himself responded to the main attacks during Omloop Het Nieuwsblad at the Muur de Geraardsbergen.

Despite working with the group he still sprinted to second place. He consolidated his stint in the classics with seventh at Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne. The 20-year old set himself up for the spring as a big favourite for other races such as Milano-Sanremo and Gent - Wevelgem. Paris-Nice is next on his schedule where he will have more opportunities to fight against World Tour leaders.