"I think we've seen enough surprises after a race of 300 kilometers" - Arnaud De Lie blinks at Milano-Sanremo hunt
Cycling
Arnaud De Lie is breaking through the pro calendar. As he aims towards more and more prestigious races he continues his winning ways, and this spring will be a massive test for the Belgian sprinter who has Milano-Sanremo as a race he is touted to perform in.
“It can be a real goal, but then you have to be at your very best. The reconnaissance is already planned: we will prepare Milano-Sanremo as best we can," De Lie admitted in a press release from the team. “You have to have a day when no one can stop you from coming over the top with the best. After that you need a good descent of the Poggio and you have to hope that you are still with the first group down below. After that, anything is possible. I think we've seen enough surprises after a race of 300 kilometers."
De Lie was no initially planned to ride the Italian monument, but has been added after a stupendous start to the season where he won the hilly Clasica Comunitat Valenciana, as well as two hilly stages at the Etoile de Bessèges. This type of race seems to suit the Lotto Dstny rider perfectly, who has also seen Omloop Het Nieuwsblad added to his schedule, as the team also look to provide him with the experience in this type of field.
De Lie will be a second option, adding to Caleb Ewan who has on two occasions finished second in Sanremo. “We don't put pressure on each other, but we both have our goals. We both have the capabilities to get a good result and, why not, win," De Lie describes his relation with the 'pocket rocket'.
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Despite having lost World Tour status, that has in no way changed De Lie's plans for the season, as the team focuses on the classics. No Grand Tours are in his plan, with stage and race wins being his major goal. “I do not necessarily have to win more than in 2022, but I would like to win a major race," he admits however.
I talk a lot about Gent-Wevelgem or Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. That I look forward to. But at the same time all races are important, especially now that we are riding in the ProTour," De Lie continues. At the time being, the 20-year old sits in fifth place at the UCI World rankings and is by far the Belgian team's biggest scorer, as it looks to regain a World Tour position into 2026.
De Lie has a bright future ahead certainly, however he is still taking steps in his development. This year he will clash with the highest-rated sprinters and riders of his kind on multiple occasions, and that will be a true test to his development which has seen him win nine races in his neo-pro year.
“By riding Paris-Nice I'm already taking the next step in my development and I don't want to skip any steps. In 2024 I still have enough time to discover a grand tour. Moreover, there are plenty of other great races during the Vuelta, such as the GP Québec and the GP Plouay," De Lie concluded.
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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.
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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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- Podcast sounds great. Two so called experts stating the f*cking obvious.wrsty04-11-2026
- A mindset that reminds me of Tim Declerq. I loved watching that guy just pound away the kilometers, hours at the front, holding an entire breakaway in check on his own. Bjerg seems like a similar guy. Curling, the team sport.RidesHills04-11-2026
- He will be lol, but he can still win on the climbs hahaawp04-11-2026
- I would love to have his inconsistency. How many wins this year? 2 TdF stages, a WC, a Euro championship, San Sebastian, multiple wins early year. Monument podiums. I'd take it. I don't think he has a chance in the TdF, but he is still amazing.mij04-11-2026
- He's not going to win the TdF. Maybe if they make every single stage a TT he could win. But I still believe Tadej would just sharpen his TT skills and win.mij04-11-2026
- You beat me to it. Should he make a full recovery (likely) and go light early in the year. One, two, three. Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. Should he be on a Feel-Like-He's-Fixin'-to-Die High.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- The deciding factor may be the (TBD) number of (any type of) kilometers without Pogacar.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- Unexplained chronic fatigue is an all too common bitch. The hard to find definitive answer may lie buried in gut mechanisms. A mystery of the deep.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- It's weird to say Evenepoel would be making a "serious mistake by adding the 2027 Giro d'Italia to his calendar, warning that such a decision could even be interpreted as a lack of confidence in his ability to win the Tour de France." It may well be a mistake but with so many commentators (of all sorts) continuously claiming almost everything Remco does as being a mistake, almost nobody should care what the pundits and the disparagers should say. His team may not want him to do the Giro, and that matters. But it's possibly or probably up to Remco to decide and it may not have to be decided on until a month or so ahead of the race. Yes , Remco is inconsistent much like the majority of the best riders but he's enjoying a period of not having been recently injured (or sick). Whatever he does he need not be concerned with critics who will second guess any perceived failure no matter what. I suspect he will have enough other races on his schedule so he won't be considering it. But the worst reason to not race it is because of what some will say - humorous that be.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- I'll say clean sweep all grand tourZamorano04-11-2026
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