"I'm delighted with how things have gone over the last week. I've found the Arnaud I know. With desire and full of determination. He's feeling good ," Stéphane Heulot rejoiced on RTBF.

The CEO of the Lotto team confirmed to the public service that the 23-year-old rider will indeed be at the start of the Tour de France in less than two weeks: "He will be. The timing was tight. There was the false start in Cologne (he abandoned after 40 km) , the setback in Mayenne (De Lie was ill and did not start). But he did not have a forced break in his training. Otherwise, he would never have finished the Tour de Suisse, given its difficulty […] He is ready for this Tour de France. I prefer to see the glass half full. He arrives with freshness. He wants to prove a lot of things. Starting next Sunday in Binche."

In France, De Lie will be joined by Lennert Van Eetvelt and Jenno Berckmoes (recent winner of the queen stage of the Tour of Belgium), who will be the other two protected riders of the national lottery team. "Our leadership will revolve around these three riders and we will complete the team with the support they need."