Arnaud De Lie sprints to victory in GP Monseré

Lotto Soudal-rider Arnaud De Lie has won the Grand Prix Jean-Pierre Monseré. The 19-year-old Belgian was the fastest of a reduced peloton, after an impressive display of teamwork. With a mighty acceleration De Lie beat Dries De Bondt and Hugo Hofstetter. For De Lie this is his second victory as a neo-pro, after he already won in the Challenge Mallorca.

In the GP Monseré the riders were served four laps of 50 kilometers with some small uphill sections. In the final lap, the peloton accelerated, causing the bunch to split up into several smaller parts. Sprinter De Lie was present in the first group, assisted by Cedric Beullens, Jasper De Buyst and Florian Vermeersch. They positioned De Lie perfectly, making sure he had the opportunity to make his decisive move at the right moment.

Obviously, De Lie was in cloud nine after his victory. “Of course I am super happy with this win. The goal of the team was to win today. It feels amazing to able to succeed”, was his first reply after his win. “Without the great teamwork this would not have been possible. I really have to thank my teammates. They brought me to the finish line in perfect position. Jasper De Buyst did a great lead-out and after I went at 250 meters to go, I was able to finish the job. As a 19-year-old, it feels great to have the support of the entire team. This was the second time I could go for victory and for the second time I was able to get the win.”

“What the following races will bring? We’ll see, I take it one race at a time. Without stress and by committing fully to racing. If I am able to get any more victories this year: even better. My first pro-victory on Mallorca was special, but this one ranks even higher. A victory in Belgium is always a bit more special.”
Photo: Maxime Van der Wielen