Six wins in five weeks: While World Championships take the spotlight, Lotto cashes in on De Lie’s incredible form

After 188 kilometers of racing, Paris-Chauny ended in a bunch sprint, despite the 2000 meters of climbing. The Flemish sprinter has been full of confidence recently, which will undoubtedly have been further fuelled after Sunday. This time, he beat Max Kanter (XDS Astana Team) and Lukas Kubis (Unibet Tietema Rockets). And with that, De Lie has achieved a hat trick.

The Lotto rider remained realistic after the race. “Before people start thinking that this is something to be taken for granted, it doesn't always work that way. There is a significant difference between winning and losing. There is often pressure for nothing, while we as a team mainly want to deliver a strong performance. This time, there was another icing on the cake, so I really want to enjoy every moment now,” he said.

Paris-Chauny was his sixth victory of the year, and De Lie is especially grateful to his teammates for that. “Today we had a really chaotic final. But the team was very strong. The control with Steffen (De Schuyteneer, ed.) and Milan (Menten, ed.) went perfectly—we just click. And that makes it all the more fun to finish the work of my teammates,” he said.

His hunger for victories has not yet been satisfied. “I have about nine race days left, if I'm not mistaken. I want to race like I did today. Although I may not win everywhere, I want to be part of the sprints and hope for good legs, like I had today. I'm still in good shape and I want to get everything I can out of it.” On October 3, he will return to the start of the Münsterland Tour.