After 5th place on Saturday and the podium on Sunday, De Lie looks to be back in form: "Like something’s been unlocked"

“In the first sprint stage, I was too kind,” the 23-year-old De Lie begins his account on the team website. In the stage in and around Lille, he missed the split in the crosswinds and ended up second in the sprint of the second peloton. Now, however, the Belgian seems to have found his good legs again. “Yesterday (Saturday, ed.), I was already showing more assertiveness. But today, I truly felt like a sprinter again.”

Finishing third behind Tim Merlier and Jonathan Milan is certainly no disgrace. “The goal was to be on their wheel. Staying ahead of the two best sprinters in the world… that turned out to be too difficult. But if I can place myself next to those two in third, then I’m super proud. I could count on my team all day. I was where I needed to be, and I got a great lead-out. I’m especially grateful to them”

So, there’s no disappointment at all for De Lie. “At first glance, you might think disappointment would dominate, because I was so close. But that’s not the case. I didn’t win, but I made progress again.” And it’s not just the result that makes the Belgian happy. “The feeling is back. It’s like something has clicked now. I feel mentally strong again, and my legs are responding,” he says, in very upbeat language.

Speaking to Cyclism'Actu, De Lie explains the plan he started the day with. “I felt really good all day, better and better, so that was already a very positive sign. I wanted to get on the wheel of Merlier and Milan again, because I said it this morning, and that’s what I did. I just wanted to overtake them in the final 50 meters, but overtaking the two best sprinters in the world is tough.”

So Sunday turned out to be a very good day for the Belgian. “I’m third, and I’m proud of the work the whole team did. I was in the right place all day. It’s not a victory, but the feeling was better, so that’s positive. We know it’s always easier to ride in the echelon than to suffer behind. In the end, nothing happened, but I was happy to be riding up front. That saved us a lot of energy. Honestly, the Tour has been unlocked. Mentally for sure, but also in terms of feeling. It’s incredible how well my legs are working,” the sprinter concludes.