Arnaud De Lie is not hiding that he is heading into the 2024 Tour de France with a lot to learn but the 22-year-old, who just received the confidence boost of a win at the Belgian Championships, will still be looking to see if he can accumulate results along with experience during his debut Grand Tour.
When the Lotto Dstny Tour team was announced on Monday, Sports Manager Kurt Van de Wouwer confirmed that even though De Lie and Maxim Van Gils were the two youngest riders named to the squad, they would be capable of capturing stage victories, but also pointed out that there was no pressure on the duo – specifically De Lie who has never raced at any Grand Tour before.
"It's good to learn and we'll see if it's possible to play for the win," De Lie said on Wednesday as he discussed the three weeks that loom ahead with media, including Cyclingnews, in a virtual media conference from Florence, Italy. "The plan is to participate, but if it gets too crazy, I might brake. I can especially learn a lot here.
“I think for the Tour de France you need a lot of experience. The Tour de France is really long, three weeks. Also for [each] stage, you need the condition, to have good legs on the good moment. So, I don’t know yet what I can learn, but there’s a lot to learn at a Grand Tour and I’m really excited.”
Stage 3 into Turin should be the first true test for the sprinters, but De Lie would not reveal his plan for the first sprint anticipated on Monday at the end of a 230.8km route. Instead, he mentioned a different possible path to a team win – stage 9 with 14 sectors of gravel over the 199km before a fast, flat finish in Troyes.
“The stage in Troyes, it is a good one for me, but it also has rocks, so we’ll see,” he said. De Lie also told Het Laatste Nieuws recently that stage 8 was to his liking, but that a flat sprint suited Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck). De Lie has performed well in uphill sprints in his short two-and-a-half year pro career, like the punchy Grand Prix de Quebec which he won in 2023 and this year’s hilly Tro-Bro Léon.
The Lotto Dstny rider, however, admitted there was a bit more stress than just a one-day Classic or the recent Belgian championship road race, however he has also walked away from that event with a tri-coloured jersey to provide a boost as he heads into the Tour de France.
"There were a lot of emotions on Sunday. That day was impressive, but now I realise that I am Belgian champion,” the 22-year-old said of the moment he took one of the biggest sprint wins of his career to date. “I have gained more self-confidence, which is very important for an athlete. It is nice, so close to my first big Tour."
Teammate Van Gils, just 24 himself also faced his first Tour last year and walked away with second in the mountain stage to Grand Colombier. This year he confirmed the goal for the team was stage wins, and they were not looking at classification jerseys.
“It would be nice if I could do one spot better," Van Gils said, referring to his stage 13 podium last year. “I probably like the first two stages of the Tour the best of the entire Tour. They are not too long, steep climbs, those are the courses that suit me. Hopefully we will go to the finish in a group and then I will also have a fast sprint.
"Stage 18 is nice. It is a good opportunity for me. Stage 17? The legs will decide.”
Van Gils said he was in good condition and had high expectations, despite missing the Belgian championships due to illness.
“For me and other riders, for sure we’d love to win. The goal for the team is to take a stage home,” he confirmed.
