ProTeam Promising fourth place for Arnaud De Lie in stage 17 of Tour de France

The team had mapped out a clear strategy going into today’s 160 kilometers long stage from Bollène to Valence: “The meeting point for us to be together was at 4 kilometres from the finishline. Everything went according to plan. Brent (Van Moer), Jarrad (Drizners) and myself were in perfect position and they brought me to the finish line completely how we planned it out”, Arnaud De Lie reflects after the race. 

A crash in the final meters of the race, limited the amount of people going into the final sprint. Luckily, no one from our team was involved. As Arnaud was in front of the crash, he was able to sprint. While launching his sprint, he made small contact with Jonathan Milan’s rear wheel. Luckily, no one crashed but Arnaud’s chances of winning sadly faded away. “UnfortunateIy, I made a little mistake. I was next to Jonathan Milan instead of sitting in his wheel. I touched his rear wheel but luckily we could avoid a crash”, he says after the race.

Nevertheless, he gave his all and still managed to sprint to a strong fourth place. “It is only the third sprint in which I participate and I felt even better than the previous times. It was the first time for me that I was so close to a victory. But in the end, I am really proud of the work the whole team has done today. It is still a fourth place in the Tour de France, and we should not forget that.“

Looking ahead towards the final days of this Tour de France, Arnaud remains optimistic: “We still have one more chance for me on the Champs-Elysées this Sunday. It will not be easy, but with the way my legs are still feeling right now and seen the good legs of my team mates, everything is still possible.”

Picture: PhotoNews