Dutch-Belgian Lotto-Dstny rider has high hopes for Tour debutant De Lie, but also aims to temper expectations

At the start of 2023, Mathijs Paasschens moved from Bingoal WB to Lotto-Dstny, a team that had just lost its battle against relegation from the WorldTour and had to continue as a ProTour team. However, the Dutchman, who grew up in Belgium, notices little difference, as he mentioned during the Critérium du Dauphiné to IDLProCycling.com.

"I'm now in my second year with Lotto-Dstny, after four years at Bingoal WB. It definitely feels like a step up," said the Rotterdam-born rider immediately. "The team has always been a WorldTour squad. Now, we are part of the ProTour, but in terms of structure and organization, it remains on par with WorldTour standards, in my opinion. When I see how things are managed in the broadest sense, how seriously they take nutrition, and how training is approached, it's really very good."

And the rider, who grew up in Heverlee, benefits greatly from this. "It allows me to focus more on cycling itself. You know that all the surrounding matters are well handled. And racing in such a well-structured system is simply very pleasant." This year, the 28-year-old Paasschens, in addition to participating in several major spring classics (Ghent-Wevelgem, Paris-Roubaix), also competed in Paris-Nice, the Tour of Hungary, and the Critérium du Dauphiné. "We're here to get stronger. After all, it's no coincidence that this is a WorldTour race. I'm gaining new experiences, which will hopefully take me further," he was ambitious. "With the team we are trying to put ourselves in the spotlight."

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What does Paasschens expect from De Lie in the Tour?

"Paris-Nice is indeed a very beautiful race, one that structurally resembles the Dauphiné," Paasschens —who finished seventh in the Tour of Britain in 2022 — further told. "If I get through these eight days just as well as I did in Paris-Nice, that's a good sign. Then I might indeed be ready for perhaps a first grand tour. I really feel that," he said again, full of ambition. "Riding the Vuelta this year would be incredibly cool, although I haven't discussed my specific program yet. Still, that's the step I hope to take in the future. And of course, it’s also a dream to participate in such a three-week race."

Paasschens, who in a 2020 interview with this website once mentioned feeling very much Dutch, will most likely not be heading to the Tour de France. There, Lotto-Dstny is logically backing Arnaud De Lie, someone Paasschens now knows quite well now. "Arnaud is someone who thrives when big goals are approaching. I definitely think he's ready for the Tour," he confidently said about the Bull of Lescheret.

"He's preparing through the Tour of Switzerland," Paasschens noted. "There we'll see how far he can go and where he stands. However, it must also be said that it will all still be new experiences for him in such a Tour. So the motto is not to raise expectations too high. He is still young, so tempering expectations is important. Let me put it this way: if Arnaud is mentally okay and he is the cheerful Arnaud, he can always surprise.'