ProTeam Arnaud De Lie stays with Lotto Dstny until at least the end of 2026

Lotto Dstny has extended the contract of its 21-year-old leader Arnaud De Lie with two years. De Lie still had a contract for next season, but signed an additional two-season deal. That way, the Belgian will race in Lotto Dstny outfit until at least the end of 2026.

After an impressive season with the Development Team, De Lie turned pro last year. The 'Bull of Lescheret' showed himself immediately, developed really fast and ended his first professional year with no less than nine victories. This season, despite a heavy crash in mid-May, De Lie's tally already stands at seven and he took close places of honour at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Brabantse Pijl, among others.

CEO Stéphane Heulot is therefore very pleased with this contract extension. "With the eyes on the future, Arnaud De Lie's contract extension was a priority. We are therefore very pleased that one of Belgium's greatest cycling talents will stay on board at Lotto Dstny. From the moment Arnaud entered the Development Team, he experienced a tremendous development and quickly became one of our leaders due to his strong performances. Everyone in the team and also Arnaud himself is convinced that there is still a nice margin for growth. This long-term commitment gives us the opportunity to take the next steps within Lotto Dstny, so that together we can realise Arnaud's ambitions. We are already very much looking forward to what the future holds," concludes Stéphane Heulot.

Arnaud De Lie explains his choice for an extended stay at Lotto Dstny. "Extending at Lotto Dstny was a logical choice for me. The team showed a lot of confidence in me from the beginning and it felt very good right away. In addition, the project the management has proposed to me for the coming years is promising. The team goes into every detail and continues to invest in performance, to bring out the best in its riders. All these things made me happy to prolong."

"The fact that I will be racing with Lotto Dstny until 2026 gives me some peace of mind and also the time to improve step by step. This year I was already able to show myself several times in WorldTour races, which proves that I keep making progress. The ambition is therefore to become competitive at the highest level in the future and win a big Classic. Which one that may be doesn't really matter to me. And whether I am more of a sprinter or a Classics’ rider? I am lucky to be good at both but my heart still lies a bit more with the Classics. Of course, that doesn't take away the fact that both things are possible to combine."

Before looking to the future, some big appointments still await De Lie this season, starting with the Renewi Tour and, among others, the Canadian one-day races in Quebec and Montreal. "A WorldTour win in one of upcoming races would be fantastic. I am in very good form and it would be a very nice end to the season."

Images: Photo News & Maxime Van der Wielen.