"This is the area where I can excel with my skills" - Arnaud De Lie looks to put less focus on bunch sprints and more into classics

Arnaud De Lie has over the past few weeks talked about his ambitions for the future and once again he has proclaimed his passion for the classics. The leader of Lotto Dstny seeks to continue performing in the cobbled and hilly classics and will not further prioritize bunch sprints for the time being.

"One of the observations this season is that I still lack experience on a really flat sprint. It's not what I prefer to do either, I prefer to sprint on a more difficult finish after a complicated and exhausting race," De Lie said in words shared with Het Laatse Nieuws. "In this type of race, I won almost everything in 2023."

By 'almost everything' of course, De Lie is referring to 10 wins - including his first World Tour triumph at the GP de Québec. He's gone head to head with pure sprinters on a few occasions but did not thrive, however in the more hilly terrain he resists well and packs an extremely strong punch. This versatility sees him as more of a classics rider. “On punchy finishes, where freshness plays a crucial role more than pure speed, I am not the best, this status belongs more to Van der Poel, Van Aert or Pogacar."

Having the lead of the Belgian team, and being key in it's chase for UCI points, De Lie can be certain he will be supported. This year he has tested himself against the best in several classics, and at the European Championships he looked the strongest, finishing fourth after leading out Wout van Aert for the podium. He believes that was another sign of what his true specialty is. "I want to focus more on that next winter: digesting the warrior races, the Flandrien Classics, even better. If I'm really strong, this is the area where I can excel with my skills."