ProTeam Arnaud De Lie seals overall victory in Renewi Tour with impressive final sprint

“It was a very hard day as it was not my best day in this Renewi Tour,” De Lie admits after the finish. “At the bonifications, Mathieu Van der Poel wins the sprint and I become third. At that point I knew that things would not become easy. But in those situations, staying calm is the most important thing.”

Despite the pressure, De Lie kept his composure and made the decisive move in the final sprint. “I took a gamble and it worked out in my favor today,” he explained. “I knew that I had to await the sprint and I knew that Pavel Bittner does good sprints. So I decided to go for his wheel. I am glad that I followed him", he smiles. 

The victory carries even greater significance given the challenges Arnaud has faced in recent months. For him, this win was not only about results. “Especially after a difficult period, a stage win was one of my main goals. But now I won a stage and the general classification, right in front of Mathieu Van der Poel, who is one of the biggest cyclists there currently is.”

Anaud De Lie was also quick to share the credit with his teammates, who worked tirelessly to support him throughout the week. “This win is one for the team as well,” he emphasized. “It’s hard when you keep finishing second. The team always works extremely hard, so it feels very good to finally give the right recognition to everyone.”

Picture: PhotoNews