"Two years is quickly over" - Patrick Lefevere already keen on signing Belgian supertalent Arnaud De Lie

Patrick Lefevere, as manager of the Belgian Soudal - Quick-Step team, is always on the lookout for the upcoming Belgian talents. Arnaud De Lie, he says, has been on the team's radar for several years and there is big intention of bringing him in in the future.

"I've been following that boy since he was 16. We exchanged messages via Instagram. I immediately realized what kind of engine he has," Lefevere told on Velofollies. "But sometimes you win and sometimes you lose."

Lotto Dstny ended up being the team who signed the 20-year old, who has already won his first race day in 2023 at the Clàssica Comunitat Valenciana. De Lie won nine races in his neo-pro year and was one of the biggest-scoring riders in the entire peloton. Nevertheless that wasn't enough to save Lotto Dstny from relegation.

De Lie is however one of the biggest rising talents of this generation and he's signed until 2024 with the Belgian team. "This time we were in the losing camp. But what is not yet can come. Two years is quickly over!" Lefevere hints, clearly stating his interesting in bringing over another big fish from the young Belgian generation.