Arnaud De Lie rode an E3 Saxo Classic to forget. The Lotto Dstny's rising star was completely invisible on Friday, as the Belgian lost contact with the front very early on in the race. Afterwards, he explained what went wrong to Sporza.
"I wasn't positioned well on the Traaiberg," he was visibly disappointed. "At that moment it was immediately over. My legs were not good, the feeling was not good before either."
The reporter wondered whether De Lie lacked experience? "No, that's not it. It was just hectic. If you're not good there, you're done. And if you are poorly placed in that zone, then the race is over."
The disappointment seemed great, but De Lie was also able to put it into perspective. "It's hard, but it's true. But I am still young and I still have 15 years for this race." The best rider of the team became Brent van Moer in thirteenth place. De Lie himself finished 52nd at more than six minutes.