No doubt a little too wait-and-see on the Dutch roads, on Sunday, the rider from the Lotto Dstny team this time chose the offensive strategy. As soon as the weather got bad (”I don’t really like the rain but… I ride well in these conditions”), he regularly went to the front to accelerate, on the Ereffe coast then in the Mur de Huy. Then he got up when he understood that the Uno-X formation was pushing for the peloton to come back. But on the final climb, he came across an excellent Stephen Williams. “I was in a good position but his attack was really brutal. He had obviously recovered a little better than me before the last Wall. But it’s still a great performance, this 3rd place.”
Especially since this podium is added to the one already conquered on the Strade Bianche. Two performances which did a lot of good for Lotto Dstny, who has been eating his way through these last few weeks (fracture of Florian Vermeersch's femur, Lyme disease by Arnaud De Lie, knee injury to Lennert Van Eetvelt…). “But I don't like it when people say that I saved the team's spring with this third place. I am one of the leaders and it is my role to achieve this kind of performance.”
Can he realistically aim for the same kind of result on Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday? ? “There will be riders like Pogacar at the start, who always make the race more spectacular. This is bound to complicate things for everyone. But I like the monuments and I am delighted to be at the departure of the Doyenne. I still hope it doesn't rain that much.”he finishes with a… frozen smile.
