De Lie couldn't keep up with van der Poel, but secures overall victory in the Renewi Tour in the end: "Had to gamble"

After the finish, the stage and overall winner immediately burst into tears. He was comforted by his father, but also by his great rival: Van der Poel congratulated De Lie and said a few words to him. Once he had calmed down a bit, De Lie was able to speak to the press after a tough day. “It wasn't my best day on the bike in this Renewi Tour,” he realized in the flash interview. “But you stay calm, you try with the legs you have. With the legs I had, I just had to save them for the sprint.”

Van der Poel accelerated several times and at one point seemed to be riding away with a select group. But in the final, everything came together, allowing De Lie to sprint for the overall victory. “It was maybe a bit like playing poker, but I played it well in the end. I have no words for what happened today. I'm super happy. After a tough spring, to win a stage and the classification, that's just a dream.”

It was poker, but De Lie was often on the limit in the challenging stage in Leuven. “My position wasn't great on the Wijnpers. My legs were good, but not good enough. I tried to hold my place. Like I said, I had to gamble. Sometimes you don't have to go for it; you have to think. I didn't overthink today, I just played the cards I was dealt.”

Thanks to Lotto, everything stayed together, after which De Lie finished the job. “At the end, I still had Jenno (Berckmoes, ed.) with me. He always works well. I'm happy to secure the victory for my teammates. It's not easy to always be second and not get the icing on the cake. Today, however, it wasn't just one cherry, but two or three,” concluded the winner.