“This is more of a mental than physical issue" - Lotto Dsnty boss admits concerns over Arnaud De Lie's recent form

Arnaud De Lie came into 2024 with a lot of hope and expectations on his shoulders. Sadly, this Spring Classics campaign has not gone to plan for the Belgian, most recently finishing a disappointing 90th on Sunday afternoon at Gent Wevelgem.

The day started badly for De Lie as an early crash set the tone. “He hit the ground all by himself,” explained a concerned Lotto Dstny CEO Stéphane Heulot to Het Nieuwsblad post-race. "How did that happen? A lack of concentration? Bad luck? The physical damage was not too bad. There didn't seem to be much going on. He left again almost immediately, but his confidence took a big hit there.”

As mentioned, De Lie came into this Flanders Classics campaign as one of the big Belgian hopes. 10th at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, DNF at Le Samyn, 51st at the E3 Saxo Classic and this latest performance have raised concerns for Lotto Dstny and Heulot however. “We need to talk about Arnaud's program," explains the boss. "Continuing to race like this won't gain him anything. This week we will sit down with him, evaluate everything and see what is best for him. We will review his calendar. I don't know yet what he's into. He needs to be able to clear his head.”

“This is more of a mental than physical issue,” Heulot concludes. “The classics he was really aiming for are now over and that is a disappointment, but we are not going to hide behind anything. This is not easy, least of all for Arnaud himself. I can understand that things are going less well and that you are losing confidence. We are going to tackle this as a team. We haven't seen the real Arnaud yet this year. We must and will find him.”