De Lie and Van der Poel get along: "I didn't have the courage to approach Mathieu in my first pro years"

The season is almost over for Arnaud De Lie as well. The Belgian champion will not ride the European Championships after the Renewi Tour—where he hopes to show himself in the final stage—but will still travel to Canada in mid-September for the two well-known autumn races there (in Quebec and Montréal). In conversation with Het Nieuwsblad, he also revealed plenty about other things!

At one point in the interview, Mathieu van der Poel also comes up for discussion. The world champion is also active in the Renewi Tour, and the two get along remarkably well, as it turns out. "Mathieu likes to tease me a little," said the seven-year-younger De Lie. "I think he's a perfect guy. Someone who shows that having fun comes first, and with fun comes results. That's also my attitude."

De Lie and the Van der Poel family: amicable with Mathieu, professional with David

"I remember that in my first years as a pro, I didn't dare to approach him; I didn't have the guts then to go off on the big riders," the Lotto-Dstny rider continued about MVDP. "But in the past Tour, we often rode side by side. In the breakaway, in the gruppetto, or just in the race. In the Tour, there is time to talk."

And speaking of the Van der Poel family, the now-retired David van der Poel currently represents (financial) interests and thus works for the Bull of Lescheret. "Let us say that David works for my agent. Although, in a way, you can also say that he is my agent. I knew David when he was still a rider. Eight months ago, we started working together professionally. It's going very well, and I can't say bad about it."