The Dantean conditions of the Flèche Wallonne
”It was an extreme race. With very low temperatures. It took a few hours for the body to warm up! I had already experienced this on the Tour of Catalonia. We left along the sea before finding ourselves in the snow, in the mountains. I was the only one on the team to finish the stage. And the only one to restart the next day… Wednesday was also really very difficult. We told ourselves it would pass after fifteen minutes. But that was not the case. I no longer knew how to move, change speed or brake… Which is why I went to ride at the head of the peloton even though that wasn't my role, but I didn't want to find myself in the peloton like that, without being able to brake. . I think I worked well before that for Van Gils and Kron. I was satisfied with my job and my feelings. But disappointed to give up when I had a lot of supporters on the side of the road.”
The runners went through hell during this Flèche Wallonne: “I had ice cubes in my mouth”
“Van Gils is smart in racing and always honest about his feelings”
The progress of Maxim Van Gils
”On Sunday, we will still take care of Van Gils. We have a great card to play with him. With Andreas Kron too. I will try to accompany them as far as possible to help them as much as possible. And maybe please me if groups anticipate the offensives of the big favorites. It's a pleasure to ride for Maxim Van Gils. He never complains. He always thanks the guys for the work done for him. He is also always very honest about his feelings, about how he feels. He is very smart in racing, he knows how to save energy when necessary. He is impressive this season. By its results, like Wednesday. But also by its UCI points.”
Pogacar, VDP and the weather in Liège
”Van Gils is the teammate who impressed me the most this year. And among our opponents, I will single out Tadej Pogacar… But can we talk about him as an opponent (laughs)? He's a class above! And he will be the favorite this Sunday. Especially since he did not ride the Flèche on Wednesday, contested, as we know, in trying conditions. However, we will have to see what the weather will be like again. In the Ardennes, it is always colder, more humid… This will play a role. We can also notice that no runner from his UAE team finished the race on Wednesday. Perhaps they had more difficulty resisting the cold. There will also be Mathieu van der Poel, but who looked a little worse, at the Amstel Gold Race.”
Three days before Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Tadej Pogacar announces the color: “I can’t wait”
News from Arnaud De Lie
”I exchanged a few messages with Arnaud De Lie. He feels better. He will resume at the Lotto Famenne Classic, Sunday. I know he has already had some great long outings. We can be optimistic for the future, for him. He hasn't won yet this season, but he shouldn't think about it. The main thing is that he gets back to his level. It’s still early in the season.”
His future
”After Liège, I will leave directly for the Tour de Romandie, which starts on Saturday. I will then do the Tour of Hungary in May (Editor's note: where he obtained his first podium among the pros last year). Afterwards, I will do an internship in Sierra Nevada to prepare for the rest of the season. Including the Tour de Suisse. I am in the long preselection for the Tour de France, but without knowing if I will be there. I am also at the end of my contract at Lotto Dstny. I feel really good there. This team has evolved well in recent seasons. We get along well. Particularly the group I am with most often, the climbers. We get along well on the bike, but also off it. After dinner, we sometimes stay for an hour to chat. Or we will walk in the evening after the stage. We are united and that helps us to surpass ourselves for our leaders.”
