"I’m not going through a great moment": Arnaud De Lie sets Hamburg return after nightmare Grand Tour double
CyclingTuesday, 04 August 2026 at 03:00
Arnaud De Lie is preparing to return to racing after a frustrating campaign disrupted by health problems. The Lotto-Intermarché sprinter admits 2026 has been one of the toughest seasons of his career but says his condition is finally improving ahead of a planned comeback later this month.
A season derailed by illness
De Lie entered both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France with high expectations, but illness prevented him from making an impact in either Grand Tour. The Belgian abandoned the Giro on stage four before the finish in Cosenza, while his Tour de France lasted only three stages, ending before the race's first real sprint opportunity.
So far, the 24-year-old has managed just two victories this season: the Famenne Ardenne Classic and stage three of the Tour de Wallonie, well below the standards he has set in recent years.
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Last Friday, De Lie made his first public appearance since leaving the Tour de France, joining around 250 amateur cyclists at a fan event in Libramont-Chevigny. Speaking at the event, the Belgian admitted the past few months have been extremely challenging.
“From a sporting standpoint, I'm not going through a great moment. But it's precisely in moments like this that you recognize the true fans,” he said in words gathered by Direct Vélo.
Veistroffer and De Lie at the back of the race on stage 3 of the Tour de France
Eyes on a return in Hamburg
Following his Tour withdrawal, De Lie spent a week on holiday with his family near Grenoble before gradually returning to training. Although he initially struggled on the bike, he now feels his condition is moving in the right direction.
“Things are starting to get better. I feel like my condition is improving, but it took me a while to recover. I spent a week on vacation with my family near Grenoble, but I wasn't feeling my best on the bike there. Now I should be back racing at the Hamburg Classic on August 16.”
If all goes according to plan, the Hamburg Classic will mark the beginning of an important second half of the season for the Belgian sprinter. He is also expected to race the Renewi Tour and the Bretagne Classic, while appearances at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal will be decided closer to the events.
Félix SernaCycling Journalist
Félix Serna is a writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2025. He covers professional cycling across both the men’s and women’s calendars, with a focus on UCI rankings, race developments, and rider performance. His work includes interview-based reports, liveblogs, and tournament coverage designed to provide clear, accurate context throughout the season.
In his reporting, Félix regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical reference. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies.
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- The 'Mouse' has been triggered ! Sarcasm goes right over his/her head as usual !frieders304-08-2026
- They rarely open them because a lot of these riders probably don't want to be photographed in their sports bras by pervert spectators, or could be not even wearing an undergarment for comfort - not that it's any of our business what they do, or why.wrsty04-08-2026
- Against fresh tadej 99% remco will lose, but if tadej join vuelta and not fresh enough maybe 50-50Zamorano04-08-2026
- @JumpyJohn - absolutely, he should have gone for the triple when he'd already won the Giro and Tour in '24. It seems that he instead went for the dream of winning all 5 monuments in one year, over the past 2 years. Maybe he'll go for the Giro/Tour double next year to do what Froome could not from '17 to '18.RidesHills03-08-2026
- I doubt media would have treated it the same way, after all, his season is pretty much what everyone was hoping and expecting and not that different from recent years. Probably the only ambitious goal now would be declaring to want to win all 3 GTs the same year to make real history and yet, he may have missed the opportunity, it won’t get easier from now on, age and a number of riders to wear him out creeping up. Has I been in his position, I would have gone for that last year or this year and collected all the other milestones later.Jumpyjohn03-08-2026
- Elaborate pleaseJumpyjohn03-08-2026
- You’ve (unbeknownst to yourself) created an interesting situation, having sound advice for a man who is known for not following it. If I were you, I’d quit the posting and set about on a mission to tell it to the man’s face in order to save him another embarrassment.Jumpyjohn03-08-2026
- Considering it’s after the Tour and Vuelta which Wout will probably ride very differently to Tadej, I think the question is legitimate and you are getting ahead of yourself.Jumpyjohn03-08-2026
- In both cases, you are not forced to watch and way less affected by it than some people you have to watch for years that are hard to avoid, although in some countries (sometimes with the help of hypocritical outside interference) that period is now dropping rapidly ;-)Jumpyjohn03-08-2026
- Usain Bolt winning took up less than 10 seconds of my life. This is a 3 week bike race.joebloggs03-08-2026
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