"This suffering is nothing compared to what I saw" - De Kleijn's late father on his mind as he battled to finish gruelling Tour de France stage
CyclingTuesday, 07 July 2026 at 14:30
Arvid de Kleijn was fighting his own battle at the Tour de France on Monday, finishing last on the stage and just ahead of the time cut for the day. The Tudor Pro Cycling rider battled hard to ensure he can ride at least another day thanks to a powerful motivation.
In a difficult year for de Kleijn, he makes his Tour debut at 32-years-old. In February, his father, Cees, died of cancer. He took some time away from racing during this period but was attacked some weeks later by youths while out training - suffering injuries including a broken nose.
During this period, he and his partner also welcomed their first child as a see-saw of emotions continued. So as heat and exhaustion saw his Tour linger before a broom wagon at the back of the race - de Kleijn soldiered on with two teammates.
“My body didn’t want to do it today,” he said at the finish. “After the team time trial I’m just blocked. My body doesn’t want to push that much.”
He made the time cut over 40 minutes back on winner Tadej Pogacar, telling media at the finish line that he was riding with his late father in his mind.
De Kleijn's message to teammates
He said: “I’m completely exhausted but I just told [my teammates] that I was riding with my dad in mind."
He also witnessed Arnaud De Lie similarly suffering with illness, but declared the sprinters' battle through the stage was "nothing" compared to the battle he has previously witnessed.
"I saw him suffer so much and I had him in mind. This suffering is nothing compared to what I saw. I just needed to keep on going, keep the pressure on the pedals.”
Behind the Tudor rider, De Lie was also suffering, eventually abandoning the race as his teammate Baptiste Veistroffer had to leave him behind to make the time cut.
Veistroffer and De Lie at the back of the race on stage 3 of the Tour de France
De Lie abandons Tour de France
"It's obviously a huge disappointment. I had worked for months to be ready for this Tour de France and I was dreaming of fighting for the sprint finishes," De Lie said in a statement.
With a stomach infection compounded further by soaring temperatures reaching as high as 40 degrees celsius, the writing was on the wall for the Lotto-Intermarche duo as their gap went from ten minutes all the way to 40 minutes behind the front of the race.
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"Unfortunately, this stomach infection weakened me a lot. I gave everything I had over the first two stages, but today I simply didn't have the legs to continue, especially in such extreme heat," he said.
"I hung on in a small group behind Baptiste, but the succession of climbs in the final was just too demanding. I told Baptiste to go on so that he could make it back within the time limit. The only thing I can do now is focus on making a full recovery and come back stronger for the rest of the season."
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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