Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché) says he returned to racing too soon for the 2026 Tour de France. He said he trained too hard after the illness that ended his Giro d'Italia, and that this harmed him before he abandoned the Tour on stage three.
The Belgian sprinter joins Tudor in 2027 on a contract running through 2030. He made the assessment in an interview with DH Les Sports+, and said his health now comes before results.
"Being forced to stop because of illness after barely three or four days is inevitably difficult to take," he said. "When I left the Giro, 90% of the riders in the peloton were ill too. At the Tour, things were not going as I wanted. Why? I think I tried to come back too quickly. I had worked too hard and that harmed me. It is never good to be chasing time."
De Lie won the Lotto Famenne Ardenne Classic on May 3. He then developed gastro-enteritis, with the team suggesting manure on the roads as a possible cause, and started the Giro struggling to eat, before abandoning on stage four on May 12. A month later he won stage four of the Tour de Wallonie, from Dison to Eupen. That was his second and final victory of the year.
He fell ill again before the Tour's Grand Départ. He struggled through the opening days in extreme heat and abandoned on stage three on July 6 with a stomach infection.
He said he now feels "very well", which he described as a continuation of the end of his season, "the period when I felt best, even though I did not add another victory to my record."
The Lyme disease he was diagnosed with in March 2024 remains a question mark. In April, his agent David van der Poel raised the possibility of lingering effects after a disrupted Classics campaign.
"Today, I have absolutely no idea whether my body is dealing with side effects," he said. "My body is my working tool. At the moment, I feel really well, and I am convinced that if I can be rid of these setbacks, I will achieve excellent results again. Nevertheless, in my eyes, the priority is my health."
Four years at Tudor
Tudor announced the signing of De Lie early in the transfer season on August 17, with the Swiss-registered squad saying he will play a central role in the team’s long-term plans. De Lie is stepping down a level from a WorldTour team to a ProTeam but that doesn’t bother the former Belgian champion.
"My priority is to settle in, get to know the Team, and keep improving as a rider," De Lie said in Tudor's August 17 announcement. "Instead of talking about big goals right away, I want to work hard and see how far we can progress together." He added that recent visits to Switzerland and meetings with sponsors in Italy had reinforced his decision.
His 2027 programme has not been confirmed. "I do have some idea, but it is only November. It is too early to make those announcements with certainty," De Lie said. He said he wants to build the season "step by step, with the best possible preparation, including two training camps."
