Lotto-Intermarché explain why you might want to think twice before picking De Lie in your Giro fantasy team

Arnaud De Lie will make his Giro d'Italia debut in just over a week. The Belgian Lotto-Intermarché rider will line up in Bulgaria with stage wins in his sights. But should you pick him for your fantasy team? That is a different question — because his directeur sportif confirms that the Bull of Lescheret will only be around for a short time.

It was another disappointing spring for De Lie, who could not carry over the brilliant form he showed at the end of 2025 into the big spring races. He did finish fourth at In Flanders Fields, but missed the Tour of Flanders through illness and recorded DNFs at Dwars door Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix. Now the focus shifts to the Giro.

Directeur sportif Kurt Van de Wouwer believes De Lie can make an impression there. "We have known Arnaud for years and May is traditionally the month when he is in top form," he told La Dernière Heure. "Because he will also be racing in his home country at the Famenne Ardenne Classic, I am convinced he will be highly motivated for this event, which is very important to him."

After the opening week, sprint opportunities thin out considerably. In the final two weeks, there are only three genuine sprinters' stages — stages 12, 15 and 21. That is one of the main reasons De Lie will be leaving the race relatively early. The Giro is also not his primary goal — his focus is on returning to top form in time for the Tour de France.

"The plan is not for Arnaud to ride all the way to Rome, but for him to race for a week to ten days before stopping," Van de Wouwer confirmed. "He needs to race to reach his best level — that we know. And, which brings me to the second reason for our choice, this programme should also bring him to peak form for the Tour de France, for which he is preparing via the Tour de Suisse, as he did this year."