De Lie had to chase for a very long time twice in the final of the Tro Bro Léon. Twice he was able to rejoin and even immediately attacked, creating a limited leading group. Nine riders sprinted for the victory in the finish town of Lannilis.
In that ascending sprint, De Lie won by force majeure. Two Frenchmen were allowed on the podium: Clément Venturini (Arkéa – B&B Hotels) came second, Pierre Gautherat (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) third. Tom Van Asbroeck was the second Belgian and finished tenth.
This contains inserted content from a social media network that wants to write or read cookies. You have not given permission for this.
Click here to adjust your preferences
“This gives me great pleasure”
De Lie was not spared from bad luck on the many gravel strips of the Tro Bro Léon. He punctured several times. “After my first flat tire I had no idea where I was in the race, but I kept driving. When I came back to join, I attacked for the first time to make a small selection. But afterwards I had another puncture. We had to chase continuously, but the team did very well, and I remained very calm. You know you can come back in these types of races.”
Deep in the final, De Lie opened up the race again in a symbolic place: de Waal attacked on the gravel sector of ‘la Ferme’, an ascending strip next to a farm. “I still felt very good, and that’s why I attacked again. So we came out ahead with three. We worked well together, but another group came back. Afterwards I also remained super calm in the sprint: I did not make the same mistake as last year, did not start sprinting from the lead position. When I started, I felt that I still had very good legs.”
De Lie won the sprint by force majeure, and ‘the Bull of Lescheret’ celebrated with his typical horn gesture. After a disappointing cobblestone spring, he seems to be gradually returning to his old level. “This gives me great pleasure. This race is close to my heart. The condition is coming back very well.”
© Lotto Dstny
De Lie finished third in the Grand Prix du Morbihan (1.Pro) in France on Saturday. Last week he won his first race of the year with the Lotto Famenne Ardenne Classic after a mediocre start to the season – by his standards.
The Tro Bro Léon is a French one-day race for the Pro Series that is characterized by the many gravel strips along the way. Winner De Lie received a pig, just like the first Breton in the results.
This contains inserted content from a social media network that wants to write or read cookies. You have not given permission for this.
Click here to adjust your preferences
