"I had to make the decision to leave" - The inside story of De Lie's Tour de France abandon as Veistroffer had to make brutal call to leave suffering leader
CyclingTuesday, 07 July 2026 at 12:05
Arnaud De Lie's brutal Tour de France abandon is a timely reminder of just how brutal La Grand Boucle can be. After soldiering through the opening two stages, the Belgian and loyal teammate Baptiste Veistroffer were left with no other option than to make a tough call.
De Lie and Veistroffer had spent most of the stage in front of the broom wagon - the last marker of the race. With a looming time cut and De Lie suffering with illness, Veistroffer had to accelerate and finish the stage as De Lie stepped off the bike, leaving the race, similar to his Giro d'Italia abandon.
"It's obviously a huge disappointment. I had worked for months to be ready for this Tour de France and I was dreaming of fighting for the sprint finishes," De Lie said in a statement.
With a stomach infection compounded further by soaring temperatures reaching as high as 40 degrees celsius, the writing was on the wall for the Lotto-Intermarche duo as their gap went from ten minutes all the way to 40 minutes behind the front of the race.
"I told Baptiste to go on so that he could make it back"
"Unfortunately, this stomach infection weakened me a lot. I gave everything I had over the first two stages, but today I simply didn't have the legs to continue, especially in such extreme heat," he said.
"I hung on in a small group behind Baptiste, but the succession of climbs in the final was just too demanding. I told Baptiste to go on so that he could make it back within the time limit. The only thing I can do now is focus on making a full recovery and come back stronger for the rest of the season."
De Lie told Veistroffer to leave him behind, with his teammate's place in the race also in danger if he was to stick with the sprinter.
"It's very tough mentally when you spend the day as a trio, in front of the broom wagon," Veistroffer said after the stage.
"Physically, I'm fine, I'm doing well, but it was a very hard day for Arnaud and for me too. There were moments on the last climb where it was difficult to stay calm when you know you're already outside the time limit."
Arnaud De Lie abandoned on stage 3 of the Tour de France
"I gave everything for Arnaud. But at some point, you also have to look a little further ahead"
Veistroffer is content to have done everything in his power to try and keep De Lie in the race, pushing hard on the flat and helping him up climbs, but it was not enough.
He added: "I gave everything for Arnaud. But at some point, you also have to look a little further ahead... plus he abandoned. After that, I did everything on my own. When you saw the power I was putting out, quite low... on the flat I was pushing."
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"But on the climbs, we had to push the same watts and he was struggling to put out consistent watts to make the time limit."
Veistroffer opened up on his own solo ride to try and get back within the time cut and re-join the grupetto - the final group on the road.
"At one point, I had to make the decision to leave. I was 15 minutes behind the gruppetto. I had to rejoin the group on my own... It was tough. I didn't give it my all; I could have stayed with him until the end. But I had to stay focused."
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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