Lotto have pulled Arnaud De Lie out of the upcoming Dwars door Vlaanderen and Tour of Flanders after the Belgian sprinter was unable to find his best form this spring Classics season.
The 23-year-old started 2025 well with a win at the Etoile des Bessèges but has looked out of sorts in several one-day races this month.
De Lie's performances in recent races have included 69th at the Nokere Koerse, 126th at the Classic Brugge-De Panne, and a DNF at Gent-Wevelgem, after ninth at the GP Denain on his March palmarès. Now, he has been pulled from two major upcoming races.
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"Arnaud De Lie unfortunately withdrew early from Gent-Wevelgem. He will take some time in the coming days for a reset and will therefore not participate in Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday and the Tour of Flanders on Sunday," the team stated on social media following Gent-Wevelgem.
"We hope he returns with his old self soon, wish him lots of courage, and look forward to having him back with us soon."
Meanwhile, speaking before the race, Lotto sports manager Kurt Van de Wouwer told WielerFlits that De Lie is "not in his normal state at the moment."
"Nokere Koerse was not good, so it is normal that you start with question marks," he said.
"He is not in his normal state at the moment. We have to re-examine that. We are going to evaluate it and possibly decide ourselves to take him out of competition for a while so that he can reset for what is yet to come."
De Lie burst onto the scene as one of cycling's most promising and exciting talents during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, racking up 19 wins and finishing second at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad at the age of 20.
Last year, however, his spring campaign was disrupted by a bout of Lyme disease, and he was forced to take a month off, missing the biggest cobbled Classics races in the process.
He returned with a win at the Famenne Ardenne Classic and went on to score wins at Tro-Bro Léon, the Belgian National Championships, and a stage at the Renewi Tour, among others.
Van de Wouwer said that the disease was a clear reason for De Lie's struggles last spring, but this time around, things aren't so clear.
"We were able to put our finger on it then, but now we are a bit in the dark about the reason. He is riding far below his normal level, with the talent he has," he said.
"I think it might be wise to sit down together, perhaps decide to take him out of competition and let him reset for what is to come. There are still great things to come – the Belgian Championships and the Tour de France are goals.
The team has sent De Lie for testing to try and determine the cause of his problem, but so far, there hasn't been any public explanation given.
Now, he will miss the next two scheduled races in his calendar, including the biggest day of the Belgian racing season at Flanders. De Lie is still listed as a provisional starter at Paris-Roubaix and De Brabantse Pijl in mid-April, but his immediate future still seems up in the air.
"We know what a talent Arnaud is. I am signing for the same scenario as last year," Van de Wouwer said. "We were in a bit of the same situation then, we were also a bit down in the dumps.
"Afterwards, he wins his first race, the Tro-Bro Léon, becomes Belgian champion, rides a good Tour de France. If we give him some time to recharge and rebuild, I think we will get back the Arnaud we know."
Lotto team manager Stéphane Heulot was not so understanding according to La Derniere Heure.
"Arnaud will become himself again but it may take a little time," he said.
"I don't expect a rider to win fifteen races a year, but to work to try to win fifteen. In terms of results, I don't expect anything from him during these Classics because he's behind."
