“Let's hope that Arnaud will be back for National Championships" - Lotto Dstny sports director hopes Arnaud De Lie will be back soon

Lotto Dstny will have to manage in coming weeks without their young Belgian superstar Arnaud De Lie who sustained heavy injuries in a crash during stage 1 of 4 Jours de Dunkerque.

“Arnaud will be out for a while. A collarbone fracture in itself can heal very quickly after surgery, but for those other injuries it is difficult to estimate,” says sports director Kurt Van de Wouwer in an interview with Sporza. “It is a loss.” De Lie was transferred to Belgium on Thursday where he'll undergo a surgery to treat his injuries in next few days.

Former professional cyclist Van de Wouwer hopes for a quick rehabilitation and thus a return to the peloton. “Let's hope that Arnaud will be back by July or perhaps the National Championships (June 26). But it is too early to speculate on that.”

The final of the opening stage of the 4 Jours de Dunkerque was marred by crashes. Arnaud De Lie was among many riders who hit the deck. In the hospital, De Lie was told that he had broken his left collarbone, a rib and his sternum. The rider also suffers from a collapsed lung.