"It is unbelievable that he can race so badly": De Lie's third failed spring campaign in a row didn't go unnoticed

Arnaud De Lie is a main star for a WorldTour team Lotto-Intermarché. He's a rider with strong finish, in particular after a hard day of racing... He can get over short hills, and knows how to ride on unpaved surfaces. And yet, for some reason, for a third season in a row De Lie has completely fallen through during his spring campaign.

Aside 4th place at In Flanders Fields, De Lie's spring score is a huge letdown. A 62nd place at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, DNF at Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne, 11 minutes behind winner at GP de Denain, further abandons at Dwars door Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix... Those are not "star status-worthy" results.

And to add that, these results are hardly to be blamed on bad luck such as crashes, punctures or other mechanical problems. "It is unbelievable that De Lie can race so badly," sighs José De Cauwer on Wielerclub Wattage show.

De Lie is simply more often to be spotted by cameras at the back of the peloton being distanced by still a rather large group, than at the front fighting for top results as his team managers would imagine to be the case.

The million-dollar question is then; What's wrong with De Lie? In 2024, we were retroactively offered an explanation through a Lyme disease. Last year, De Lie was caught up in a training crash during pre-season camp, suffering a mild knee injury.

"There is always a reason behind a rider's poorer performance," Tom Boonen clarifies. "Sometimes we know that reason, and sometimes we don't."

In any case, it's a third year in a row that De Lie's spring has gone sideways. Without an official reason, there's all the more room for speculations, such as that De Lie is in fact not mentally up for the challenging that are the biggest cobbled classics.

"Then the story will come out again that he needs to recharge in the Ardennes and see his cows," says De Cauwer. "But that has nothing to do with racing."

Another point of view to consider is that De Lie's contract with Lotto-Intermarché is running out at the end of this year, and as it sometimes goes in relationships, De Lie at Lotto might be overdue and looking for a fresh start with a clean slate at a new address.

According to strong rumours, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, Alpecin-Premier Tech and Soudal - Quick-Step have expressed their interest in De Lie's services from 2027 onwards.