ProTeam Arnaud De Lie wins Tro Bro Leon after an incredible race

Like a cat with multiple lives: that's how it went for Arnaud De Lie during the Tro Bro Leon. The French counterpart of the Strade Bianche, characterized by 29 gravel sectors, initially caused a stroke of bad luck for the Lotto Dstny leader. A flat tire just as the peloton accelerated, forced De Lie to the side for the first time. 30 kilometers from the finish, it happened again. But the Bull of Lescheret remained cool as ice. Strong teamwork from the entire Lotto Dstny team brought him back to the front, and De Lie then squeezed out another attack from his legs. Initially, he was joined by Riley Sheehan (Israel-Premier Tech) and Pierre Gautherat (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team), and not much later a small group joined the trio.

Ultimately, no one had an answer to Arnaud De Lie's sprint, and so, after his second place yesterday in the Grand Prix du Morbihan, he climbs to the top spot in Brittany today. Clément Venturini (Arkéa - B&B Hotels) finished second, with Gautherat third. "This makes me really happy," a relieved Arnaud De Lie said at the finish line. "What a race. We've had our share of bad luck. Fortunately, I - but also the team - managed to stay calm with each setback. I felt really great, had top legs, so I tried to attack again at the end. It didn't quite work out, so we had to sprint with nine. Even there, I managed to keep my composure and not make the same mistake as last year when I went first."

Traditionally, the fastest Breton in the Tro Bro Leon receives a real piglet as a gift, but this year the organizer had also promised one to De Lie. And so, soon there will be a Breton piglet hopping around on the farm in Lescheret. "I had my sights set on this (laughs). Oh well, I'm mainly happy that my condition is clearly good. I won in Famenne last week, came second yesterday, and now I've won the Tro Bro Leon. After today, I really have to thank my team double for all the hard work."

Photo: A.S.O./Tony Esnault