"I don’t think I have ever felt this bad" - Arnaud de Lie struggles his way through Giro d'Italia's opening weekend
Cycling
The opening weekend of the Giro d'Italia saw Lennert van Eetvelt put on a stellar performance at the Giro d'Italia but on the other side of the spectrum was the team's other leader Arnaud de Lie. Still suffering from illness, the Belgian sprinter suffered his way through the climbs on the first days of the race.
“I felt myself getting worse. I don’t think I have ever felt this bad," De Lie said following the end of stage 3. This Sunday, he was the only rider getting dropped on the Borovec Pass, and was aided by two teammates at the time. Eventually, he managed to find his way back into the peloton, but in the final kilometers he struggled to be in contention for the stage and ended up crossing the finish line in 47th place. On stage 1 he was out of the run after the mass crash that cut the peloton inside the final kilometer.
Ultimately, there is no result to show for in the opening weekend of the race for De Lie. He suffered an ankle injury back in January which delayed the course of his spring; but an illness contracted at the Lotto Famenne Ardenne Classic - where the riders had cow manure and tractor tracks on wet roads - is the reason behind his most recent difficulties.
Although that has not been fully confirmed: “That is a hypothesis, but not a certainty," team doctor Gerard Ackerl shared in words to Domestique. "It is clear that they contracted gastroenteritis. Recovering from that takes a huge toll on the body".
Lotto unsure of the cause for De Lie's extreme difficulties
There were several Lotto riders affected from that race, the Sunday prior to the Grande Partenza. The Belgian team had to replace Liam Slock in its lineup because of it, whilst De Lie started the race, but far from his best level. The illness is still hampering him. "Difficult to predict, because we do not know the exact cause. So we do not know with certainty what caused the acute attack.”
De Lie initially already hinted at participating only in the first week of the Giro, so as to then recover for future goals; however his current state of form puts into question his participation. The team will hope that this Monday's rest day will see an improvement in his health, but it will not be easy to recover in time to potentially win a stage before withdrawing from the race.
“Moreover, every body reacts differently. Will Milan [Menten] recover faster because he got sick sooner? We cannot say. We only know that they will get better," Ackerl cocnludes. "The most important measure we have taken is that we have put them in the same room together.”
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- So, you never really compared Paul Seixas with his main rival Isaac Del Toro why jump to Pogačar? They've (Paul & Isaac) raced together here and there, and they've both shared in wins and losses, I think they should be compared to each other, even with Vingegaard and Remco first before even touching Pogačar. From your writing it's like he's better than Vingegaard, Remco and Del Toro already that his main target is now Pogačar 🤔Sadick11-11-2026
- gee i hope its a minor injury. a great rider and ambassador for the sport. get well soon Lucinda.
Davide11-11-2026 - some of lidl-treks retention and recruiting has been puzzling in the mens and womens teams.Davide11-11-2026
- Yeah his ride at World's was unreal. Over 6 W/kg for over an hour and a half...he single handedly destroyed the break.DAS11-11-2026
- Exactly, you hit the nail on te head.... Ayuso sucks. 3 to 4 years ago some cycling experts were comparing Ayuso as the "new Pogi"... but he's not even close to him... either physically or mentally. Capish you naive schoolboy?PogiSloFans11-11-2026
- I think they expected more from riders like Carlos Rodriguez, Vauquelin and Magnus Sheffield. Imo they should have focused on signing Primoz Roglic, at least they´d probably have had a guaranteed podium GT finisher (he still might sign for them). Now they have 2nd or third tier riders in the classics (Ben Turner, Arensman, Beloki and hopefully Onley can step up again even more). Sheffield, August, Bernal, Tarling and Geoghan Hart did not live up to the star expectations eventually..Jonatan11-11-2026
- Fuuuuuuck, Ciccone and Pidcock on the same team, attacking like crazy and taking it to the other competitors? Yes, please.Occam11-11-2026
- Oh Cameron, this win has been a long time coming! We could not be more proud. All I’ll say is: roll on Glasgow 🔥anonymouscyclist11-11-2026
- Ayuso is another guy riding for GC but won't be able to consistently do it. Almost all of these guys, Skjelmose included, would be better off targeting shorter stage races or one-day races rather than shooting for a GT top-five.Occam11-11-2026
- Awesome. Because you didn't like him, he sucks. Good Lord, you're tendentious. And you write like a 15 yo locked in his room after school.Occam11-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment