Arnaud De Lie is the top favourite for tomorrow’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad who won’t be wearing a Visma-Lease a Bike jersey and believes the Dutch team’s undoing could be the very thing making them heavy favourites - their multiple leaders.
The 21-year-old is hoping to disrupt the superteam assembled by Visma-Lease a Bike that features the last two Omloop winners Wout van Aert and Dylan van Baarle; alongside Christophe Laporte, the in-form Jan Tratnik, Tiesj Benoot, Matteo Jorgenson and Edoardo Affini.
It’s one of the finest cobbled Classics teams ever seen, with six of the seven seen as potential winners and Affini the only definite rider set for domestique work.
“Visma-Lease a Bike is the best team in the world. Take a look at all the big names starting,” said De Lie to Het Nieuwsblad after stating Tratnik as his favourite for the day.
“It's up to them to take control of the course and bet on the right horse. If they play poker by continuously shooting one arrow after another, they can also shoot themselves in the foot.”
The rising Belgian star was second at last year’s race after a superhuman performance that saw him power up the Muur van Geraardsbergen, make it into the lead group of four chasers, only to get caught but still win the bunch sprint behind winner Van Baarle. All the while with a bloodied knee after crashing 50km from the line.
It was the confirmation of De Lie’s potential and a warning to the peloton that a new Classics star was in the making. He’s now ready to take victory, by any means necessary.
“It's not important how I win. As long as I win,” said De Lie. “It may even be a teammate, that's just as good.
“The Molenberg is the first key moment of the day. From there, you have to be in the front. If I am still there at the front after the Bosberg, many people may start to get scared.”
De Lie took his maiden WorldTour victory in 2023 at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and has become the long-term Belgian squad’s most important rider.
He’ll ride an extensive Classics campaign in 2024 before riding his first Tour de France in the summer. But De Lie knows he has time. Not wavering under the pressure placed on him by Belgian media with the knowledge that he can simply try again next year if all else fails.
“There is a lot of pressure, but I don't feel that way. I know what I can do,” said De Lie.
“If it works, it works. If it doesn't work on Saturday, then another time. It's not like I have one year left in my career and I haven't won anything yet.”
Het Nieuwsblad also reported that De Lie had been at altitude for 20 days, training at Mount Teide in Tenerife before making his season debut in Spain.
The three races he has completed so far this season have been lacklustre by his consistent standards with two DNFs and a fourth place at the Clasica de Almeria, but again De Lie showed maturity beyond his age, unphased by the “poor” start.
“Of course, I would have preferred to win already. The form was not great,” he said. “But who will remember in a few months that I was bad in [Clásica] Jaén.”
De Lie has moved on quickly from his time in the Spanish sun, prepared to get stuck into some cobbled racing with typical Belgian weather on his wish list for Opening Weekend.
“I'm looking forward to the announced bad weather,” said De Lie. “That makes the race harder for the others. And not for me.”
