A short Tour for Lotto’s leader
Arnaud De Lie’s Tour de France is already over.
The 24-year-old Lotto-Intermarché sprinter abandoned during stage 3 from Granollers to Les Angles, ending a race that had looked fragile even before the Grand Départ.
According to ProCyclingStats, De Lie was listed as DNF on stage 3 after two difficult opening days. He had finished 21st in the team time trial and 183rd on stage 2, but the move into the mountains proved too much.
The timing was brutal for Lotto-Intermarché. De Lie had arrived at the Tour as one of the team’s main hopes for stage results, yet he never reached the terrain where his sprint and classics power might have mattered.
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Illness before the race
The warning signs were already there before the race began.
According to L’Équipe, De Lie missed the Tour de France team presentation in Barcelona because of illness, another health problem in a season that had already been difficult.
His team still allowed him to start, but there was little margin for error. Stage 3 brought heat, climbing and a high pace as the race crossed into France and finished in Les Angles.
According to The Guardian, De Lie abandoned while hampered by illness on a day also marked by wildfires in the eastern Pyrenees and a spectator-free finale.
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Veistroffer tries to save the day
Lotto-Intermarché did not give up on De Lie easily.
Baptiste Veistroffer spent a long part of the stage helping his leader, riding with De Lie on his wheel as the Belgian tried to survive the time limit and stay in the race.
But at some point, the effort became impossible to sustain.
Quoted by L’Équipe, Veistroffer said: “I gave everything for Arnaud but, at some point, you also have to look a bit further.”
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It was a harsh but realistic assessment. Once De Lie could no longer produce the power needed to stay inside the race, Lotto-Intermarché had to protect what remained of its Tour.
Another health setback
De Lie’s withdrawal fits into a wider pattern of interrupted momentum.
He was diagnosed with Lyme disease during the spring of 2024, a period that forced him to pause his classics campaign. According to Cycling Weekly, Lotto said at the time that he needed a reset after struggling for form.
This season has again been stop-start. He abandoned the Giro d’Italia on stage 4 and arrived at the Tour with more illness concerns.
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That makes this latest exit feel less like a single bad day and more like another chapter in a frustrating period for one of Belgium’s most powerful young riders.
Lotto must change direction
For Lotto-Intermarché, the race now changes shape.
De Lie was the obvious card for reduced sprints and hard finishes, but the team still has options. Lennert Van Eetvelt showed strength by finishing sixth on stage 3, close to the general classification favourites, while Jenno Berckmoes may now carry more responsibility in sprint and breakaway situations.
The wider question is what comes next for De Lie.
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According to Cyclism’Actu, the Belgian is expected to join Tudor Pro Cycling from 2027, with the Swiss team reportedly beating Groupama-FDJ United to his signature.
A new team may eventually offer a fresh start. For now, though, De Lie leaves the Tour with another painful reminder that talent alone is not enough when the body refuses to cooperate.
