Another encouraging result for Arnaud De Lie: “Ah, what a relief”

De Lie is finally showing signs again of the level people had come to expect from him. The Belgian endured a very difficult 2025 because of persistent medical problems, but in 2026 he seems to be working his way back, slowly but surely. He had already come close on several occasions, including a second place at Tirreno-Adriatico. On Sunday, he then finished fourth in In Flanders Fields, the race won by Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech).

“Ah, what a relief. I’m happy with this fourth place,” De Lie said afterwards. That satisfaction was mainly down to the fact that he had gone into the Belgian Classic with far from an ideal preparation because of illness. After GP Denain, where bad luck left him only 84th, he was barely able to train at all.

“Eight hours in a week and two days. I felt tired and didn’t really know what to expect today. I’m completely empty now, this race was already 240 kilometres and it didn’t need to be any longer,” he said with a laugh. “But honestly, I really enjoyed it.”

A strong result was therefore anything but guaranteed, especially in a race where the peloton had to go all in to bring back Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert. That only happened inside the final kilometre. “After a race like that, it’s a sprint for the strong riders. I didn’t have much left.”

Even so, what stood out most after Sunday was De Lie’s happiness. “I feel like I’m still missing a bit to be at my very best, but this is encouraging, especially after all the bad luck I’ve had in recent spring seasons and races.” In In Flanders Fields, things had not gone completely smoothly either. “At the start of the race I had a small issue with my wheel.”

“But after that everything went smoothly and I was always well positioned at the front,” De Lie continued, heading towards the most important Classics of the spring with renewed confidence. “That really means a lot to me, because I truly love this race. So I’m really happy that I could finally show what I’m capable of.”