When Arnaud De Lie stepped up from the Lotto Soudal development squad to the WorldTour outfit at the start of 2022 he wasted no time when it came to add victories to his professional palmares and now his new team have been just as quick with a contract extension to keep the neo-pro on board.
The 20-year-old Belgian was already signed through to the end of 2023, but the team, which will be known as Lotto-Dstny in the next two seasons, have already added another year to the contract of the Belgian who has already amassed six wins this season.
“What Arnaud has shown this year – as a neo-pro – has been impressive,” CEO of Lotto Soudal, John Lelangue, said in a statement. “We knew he had talent because he came through our own Development Team. But that he would win six times already in his first season is something we could never have predicted.
“We believe that he can develop himself into a rider that is able to compete for the victory in the biggest races. Riders like Arnaud De Lie are the future of this team.”
So impressive is De Lie’s win record – with victories at Trofeo Palma, GP Jean-Pierre Monseré, Volta Limburg Classic, GP Marcel Kint, Heistse Pijl and Ronde van Limburg – that he has the biggest tally so far this year of anyone in his team, even one ahead of experienced sprinter Caleb Ewan.
“The team has worked for me almost from the first race I did. If I had confidence in a good sprint, I got all the support,” said De Lie. “That mutual trust is the most important reason for me to extend.”
The results from Di Lie, too, could hardly come at a better time with the spate of 1.1 wins a handy addition to the UCI points in a season where the team is fighting WorldTour relegation. A victory in a 1.1 race earns 125 points, which is five more points than a Tour de France stage win.
However, De Lie and Lelangue have both emphasised that the focus for the team is to win, not take points, and that the rider’s placement at 1.1 races is about his development.
“In this team I get the opportunity to grow at a steady pace,” Di Lie said. “This year I was able to win on .1 level. Next year I hope to compete in bigger races. Nokere Koerse, for example, I would like to win. But first I focus on the second half of the 2022 season.
“There are a lot of races yet to come where I would like to get results.”
