"There’s a lot to learn at a Grand Tour and I’m really excited” - Arnaud De Lie without pressure at Tour de France debut despite recent Belgian title win

One of those riders set to break new ground at the upcoming Tour de France, will be the recently crowned Belgian national champion, Arnaud De Lie. After much hype in recent seasons, the Lotto Dstny star is set to finally make his Grand Tour debut.

"It's good to learn and we'll see if it's possible to play for the win," previews De Lie, who out sprinted the likes of Jasper Philipsen, Wout van Aert and Tim Merlier among others to claim his Belgian national title recently, in conversation with Cycling News. "The plan is to participate, but if it gets too crazy, I might brake. I can especially learn a lot here."

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Learning seems to be a main theme of De Lie in his pre-Tour de France press conference. Still only 22 years old, the prodigy has long been touted by those in the know as a potential Green Jersey winner of the future. Whether or not that is to be this year however, De Lie himself doesn't want to add any unnecessary pressures onto his shoulders.

“I think for the Tour de France you need a lot of experience. The Tour de France is really long, three weeks. Also for [each] stage, you need the condition, to have good legs on the good moment. So, I don’t know yet what I can learn, but there’s a lot to learn at a Grand Tour and I’m really excited,” De Lie explains maturely.

As far as any stages in particular, De Lie like many others has stage 9, the gravel stage around Troyes front and centre of his mind. “The stage in Troyes, it is a good one for me, but it also has rocks, so we’ll see,” he concludes. “I have gained more self-confidence, which is very important for an athlete. It is nice, so close to my first Grand Tour."

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