All signs are positive for Arnaud De Lie — but where are the results?

De Lie has been competing at WorldTour level since 2022, simply because he was that good as an under-23 rider. In his first year as a professional with Lotto, he immediately started winning among the elite as well, collecting a string of Belgian semi-classics. In 2023, both the races and the victories increased in stature, which meant that in 2024 the full focus shifted towards the spring Classics.

With 19 wins in his first two seasons as a pro, expectations were naturally high, but in both 2024 and 2025 De Lie followed a remarkably similar pattern: winning early in the year, raising expectations for spring, falling short in the Classics, going back to the drawing board, and then returning to winning ways in summer and autumn.

People were already close to talking De Lie into having a mental block, but Lotto-Intermarché always continued to protect their leader. When he needed rest, he was given rest. At those moments, De Lie would retreat to the family farm, recharge, and reset. Even so, his tally has risen to 33 victories in four professional seasons, which underlines just how much ability he has.

People were already close to talking De Lie into having a mental block, but Lotto-Intermarché always continued to protect their leader. When he needed rest, he was given rest. At those moments, De Lie would retreat to the family farm, recharge, and reset. Even so, his tally has risen to 33 victories in four professional seasons, which underlines just how much ability he has.

In truth, that run of bad luck continued after Tirreno-Adriatico, where De Lie did at least sprint to one second place, finishing just behind Tobias Lund Andresen. In GP Denain he may well have been one of the top favourites, but mechanical trouble and a puncture left him chasing back to the peloton three separate times. Under those circumstances, a good result was effectively out of reach.

That leaves the big question: how good is De Lie really right now? In previous seasons, strong early results suggested top form, but when the major Classics arrived he failed to deliver physically and mentally. Now, with the results still missing in 2026, could that actually mean he is peaking better for the spring? De Lie himself sounded positive. “I feel good and I’m in a good place. I didn’t win in Tirreno, but I did finish second once,” he said.

“I have the feeling I’m in better shape than in previous years. That is definitely something positive,” the Belgian continued, pointing to his “good numbers” in Tirreno. In Denain, Lotto sports director Adrien Petit also struck an upbeat tone. “Arnaud was very unlucky today, but I’d rather see that happen here than in Roubaix. We’ll analyse those moments of bad luck, because he took risks by riding on the side of the cobbles.”

There is, however, little doubt about De Lie’s form this time around — and that is different from previous years. “He was very strong and he simply looks good. Arnaud has a lot of confidence, but we are not going to put pressure on him. We know what we have to do, and now we just hope the results come this spring.” That may be the key line around De Lie at the moment: the signs are encouraging, but the results still need to catch up with the feeling.

Bram van der Ploeg ( X: @BvdPloegg | email : [email protected])