ProTeam Lotto Dstny looks forward to a Sunday in Hell

Lotto Dstny starts Paris-Roubaix with a strong team and an all Belgian squad.
Race 08 April 2023

This Sunday, the cobbled spring Classics come to an end at Paris-Roubaix. Lotto Dstny looks back on a nice Classics’ campaign and wants to build on the momentum. Arnaud De Lie will make his debut in the Hell of the North and continues to discover the Classics while Florian Vermeersch, runner-up in 2021, hopes to show his strong legs once again.

Lotto Dstny starts Paris-Roubaix with a strong team. An all Belgian squad: Cedric Beullens, Brent Van Moer, Frederik Frison, Liam Slock, Arnaud De Lie, Florian Vermeersch and Sébastien Grignard wants to continue the performances of the past weeks.

With Florian Vermeersch (24) the team has a rider who has been on the podium of Roubaix. In 2021, the Belgian came in second in a three-man sprint, won by Colbrelli. “That podium place suddenly created really high expectations”, the rider looks back, “people sometimes forget that I was only 22 at the time and I’m still only 24 now. I can still make a lot of progression.”

Nevertheless, the rider remains ambitious ahead of his favourite race. “But I’m not going to speak out about a specific result, he says, “I just want to ride a good race. I won’t choose for the early breakaway like in 2021 but I will stay attentive for interesting moves. Actually, I can’t wait for the acceleration of Mathieu Van der Poel or Wout van Aert, but I need to ride my own race and hopefully that gets me a nice result.”

Arnaud De Lie (21) will make his debut in Hell this Sunday. The past week, he explored the course twice, with two teammates on Monday and with the whole team on Friday. “I learn something new every time”, he realizes, “about the equipment but also about other things you need to take into account at Paris-Roubaix. It will be one big discovery on Sunday. This is my first participation and I have nothing to prove, but of course I want to have a good race.”

The Lotto Dstny rider wants to return home with a satisfied feeling. “I’m not targeting a specific result, this is a race where experience is quite important and where bad luck is also a big factor. But I definitely will fight for it. The race is never over, even if you’re at the side of the road with mechanical issues. That, I need to keep in mind. At Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, I already showed that I can keep calm when something happens and I will do so again this Sunday.”

Foto's: Photo News.

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