"With a positive Lyme test, you know nothing" - Arnaud De Lie back to competition but admits big fears over Lyme's disease diagnosis

Arnaud de Lie had a very difficult spring form-wise, and after Gent-Wevelgem he was diagnosed with Lyme's a disease. A tough 2024 season for the Lotto Dstny leader, but he has since recovered from the illness and returned to racing and victories. He now aims for more this weekend in Bretagn

"Especially because we didn't know what was going on at first. Usually, I recover from a race after two days, but this time my legs just kept hurting. The Lyme diagnosis clarified a lot, and I could immediately start with antibiotics, but at the same time, it's scary," De Lie admitted in a press release issued by the team. "Everyone knows it can be serious. It weighed on me mentally. If you break a collarbone, for example, you know what you're up against. With a positive Lyme test, you know nothing. How long have I had it, will it take long, how severely does it affect me? I was lucky that it was short-lived for me, but then I had to regain some joy in cycling. I did a small training camp in Nice, enjoyed the sun, and the good feeling slowly returned."

Last week, De Lie returned to racing at the Lotto Famenne Ardenne Classic and took a strong victory, a perfect return to racing and boost to his confidence. The 21-year old does not believe he has his best form yet, but it could be enough to battle for the wins at both GP du Morbihan and Tro-Bro Léon.

"Is everything going well? Is something still wrong? Or can I fully commit again? It's an understatement to say that the victory in Famenne was very important to me," the Belgian argues. "It gives me a lot of motivation."