“I have gone through a difficult period" - Arnaud De Lie returns from Lyme Disease stronger than ever with Famenne Ardennes Classic victory

Although 2024 was predicted to have been a big year in the career of Arnaud De Lie, the first few months have seen the Belgian struggle with injuries, crashes and more recently Lyme Disease. In his first race for over a month though, De Lie powered to victory at the Famenne Ardennes Classic.

“I am very happy with this victory,” opened an emotional De Lie in his post-race interview. “I have gone through a difficult period. I don't really have words for it right now. I want to thank everyone who has continued to follow me. This is certainly a liberation after I could not win this season.”

Speaking pre-race, De Lie was unsure if he could reach a level high enough to compete for victory and even during the race, the Belgian was struggling. “I didn't feel good in the opening phase. But it was tough for everyone. The strong wind made it difficult," he explains. "I know the course well, which was to my advantage. I also got better during the race and my teammates gave me a lot of confidence. As a team we rode a very strong race. I am happy that I was able to finish it effectively.”

“It was a very difficult sprint with the headwind. The plan was that I would sprint and Maxim van Gils would be in my wheel. He could then come out if I was carpaccio, if I was broken," De Lie concludes. "However, I saw that Axel Zingle started the sprint very early and so I followed him. Then I went over it at the right time. Luckily I was able to keep it until the finish. This is very good for confidence. That confidence was somewhat lost when I was having a hard time. I feel like that's back a bit now. This is a great first step.”