De Lie has telling words on Van der Poel and Pogacar dominance: “A lost day”

The Belgian, now riding for the newly merged Lotto–Intermarché team, endured a very disappointing spring last year and struggled both physically and mentally. In the Tour de France, De Lie finally showed signs of improvement again, giving him plenty of reason to start 2026 with renewed confidence.

That new season began with a sixth place (in Almería) and a fifth place in the opening stage of the Volta ao Algarve. Still to come on his spring programme: Opening Weekend, Tirreno–Adriatico, GP Denain, the Tour of Bruges, Dwars door Vlaanderen, the Tour of Flanders, and Paris–Roubaix as the finale.

Which also means Milan–Sanremo is not on his calendar. For a rider with De Lie’s profile, La Primavera is not an illogical target at all, and he already debuted there in 2023 — finishing 95th. In 2026, however, there will be no return, and that has everything to do with the presence of those two superstars.

If Van der Poel and Pogacar are racing, De Lie knows the odds are stacked. So next month’s Milan–Sanremo is off the table for him. “Unless Pogacar and Van der Poel call in sick five days beforehand,” the Lotto–Intermarché rider jokes.

“I think I’m making the right choice. I have to be realistic: with them on the start line I don’t stand a chance,” De Lie explains. “They ride the Cipressa a minute faster than the rest. Milan–Sanremo is a lost day for me. It’s pointless,” he says bluntly.

De Lie does not kid himself about what he would be racing for. “A top ten is nice, but it doesn’t do much for me beyond that. Right now I get more satisfaction from a win — for example two days earlier at GP Denain. Maybe one day I’ll go back, but… everything in its time. And if it never happens again, I won’t lose sleep over it. There are worse things in life.”