"Health is my number one priority" - Arnaud de Lie looks to put disastrous 2026 behind him at Tudor
Cycling
Arnaud de Lie is one of the most talented classics riders in the peloton, but a rider who often suffers from inconsistencies, injuries and illnesses. The latter, specially, hampered him in 2026 - a year where he's struggled deeply, and is looking to put it behind him.
In 2024, De Lie was diagnosed with Lyme's disease, which may have come with plenty short and medium-term consequences. It is a complex issue that affected the Lotto-Intermarché rider's health.
"I hear all sorts of things about this disease. There are plenty of specialists, but few who really specialize in it. Today, I honestly don't know whether my body is still dealing with side effects," the Belgian shared with La Dernière Heure.
"I'm convinced that if I can put these setbacks behind me, I can achieve great results again. But my health is my number one priority."
Over the years De Lie has continued to show his talent, but has always seemingly struggled to put in a full consistent year on the bike.
Arnaud de Lie abandoned the Tour de France only a few days in
Disappointing 2026 for De Lie
In late 2025, De Lie won the Bretagne Classic and beat Mathieu van der Poel to conquer the Renewi Tour. It seemed like there was firm ground heading into 2026, but before the season even began he suffered an ankle injury.
His spring was crowded with modest performances, and at his first race win of the year, he contracted an illness from the Lotto Famenne Ardenne Classic. He flew to Bulgaria for the start of the Giro d'Italia and abandoned on stage 4.
His return to racing at the Tour de Wallonie was met with a stage win and third place overall. It seemed like he could aim for the Tour de France at his top level once again, but that was not the case.
He got ill once again at the Grand Depart, and abandoned during the third stage of the race. He also cited fatigue going into the Tour. "I think I tried to come back too quickly. I had trained too hard, and it ended up working against me. It's never good to chase lost time."
Right now, the 24-year old is motivated once again: "I'm doing very well. It's a continuation of how I felt towards the end of the season, when I was feeling at my best, even though I didn't manage to add another victory".
De Lie joining Tudor this winter
Despite missing out on the race days that were planned for his Grand Tour schedule, De Lie still raced 48 days in 2026. Over the fall he has signed a contract with Tudor Pro Cycling Team that will run all the way into 2030.
"They say the grass isn't greener on the other side. I believe what matters is how you nurture it. I feel the need to chase new challenge," he assures. After turning pro in 2022 with Lotto, where he was always a sole leader, he leaves the World Tour for a new environment.
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"I was immediately attracted by the long-term vision of Tudor's management. I also felt they had complete confidence in me." The Swiss team aims to enter the World Tour following the end of the 2028 season, and De Lie can play a major role in that move.
He joins the likes of Kaden Groves and Nico Denz who enter the team, to form a stronger block for the sprints and clasics. "What I like about the Swiss is that they don't beat around the bush when they explain something. They're direct," he concluded.
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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- Which is amazing given his weight and size, though, unlike in boxing and some rare instances we haven’t a clue what his fighting weight was. Anybody know why these “public” figures floated around are considered as being accurate?Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- That’s a first point, everyone can have an off year or just stagnate before a new upward cycle. What would have been more interesting is including Skjelmose’s performance into the discussion, things have also been expected from him after several performances in the past but he hasn’t really progressed either, his TdF was basically what you would have expected but he’s 26 and been kind of stuck at this level for at least 2-3 years. Maybe he’s a late developer or maybe he needs something to change but as manager I’d be just as demanding and worried about both. Perhaps the recruitment concept was to have enough talent so at least one every year would be in shape and they’ve just been unlucky. Don’t want to rub it in but you could even say Mads lost a notch, so is it the riders or is it more to do with the team?Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- Bingo...I was also going to say that young pretty women are obsessed Pogi fan girls... who are chasing him. All glossy "____" (blank) about Tadej. PS: You can all fill in the "blank" yourselves, whatever you prefer. The definition of glossy is: It looks unusually shiny, glazed over, watery, or vacant/unfocused.PogiSloFans12-11-2026
- Are you able to discuss ANYTHING without making a reference back to your Special 1? It’s almost as if you’re paid by his marketing team to improve his ranking in search results.Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
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