Up-and-coming Belgian sprinter Arnaud De Lie has opted for a radically completely different stance to the peloton’s common hopes for good climate in Milan-San Remo and will likely be crossing his fingers for rain and snow subsequent Saturday in northern Italy.
Already a notable second on his debut at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad final month, De Lie will likely be racing the Italian Monument for the primary time in his profession this weekend, simply two days earlier than he turns 21.
And as he advised Belgian newspaper La Dèrnière Heure (opens in new tab), he’s hoping for equally foul racing circumstances to the notorious snow-blighted version of Milan-San Remo 2013.
“That is not what they’d like within the workforce, however me, I would want the climate to be dangerous and even rain, I am going a lot better within the rain,” De Lie mentioned. “Sure, rain, and snow too, on Saturday – that’d be good for me.”
De Lie has checked out the San Remo finale twice, as soon as in early February and once more final weekend after he deserted Paris-Good. Chatting with La Dernière Heure shortly after he stop the French stage race, he mentioned his last construct up for La Primavera was for 2 exhausting coaching periods on Monday and Wednesday, then to have two days of relaxation previous to the occasion itself.
With the Milan-San Remo route taking in nearly 300km in a single day, the race would be the longest race De Lie has ever executed, however he denied that he can be daunted by that.
“No, no, it is 40 minutes greater than Plouay or Gent-Wevelgem, races I’ve already executed. I will shut my eyes and never take into consideration these 40 further minutes.”
“We’ll have a superb workforce, with Pascal Eenkhoorn, Jacopo Guarnieri and Frederik Frison, for instance. Nevertheless it will not be as much as us to manage the race, we must always simply use our riders to verify we’re well-placed for Capo Berta, which is the toughest of the three capi.”
“Then now we have to be in a superb place once more for the Cipressa, and I hope, in the event that they’re nonetheless up there, earlier than the Poggio. For those who’re the place you have to be at these factors, then it comes right down to having good legs. With out good legs, there is no likelihood of you getting over the Cipressa efficiently, and even much less likelihood of getting over the Poggio.”
Other than taking care of De Lie, Lotto-Dstny’s fundamental aim will likely be to handle Caleb Ewan, and the query of how the workforce will deal with two sprinters in the identical line-up, one a double San Remo podium finisher and one a race rookie, will possible solely grow to be clear on the day itself.
However De Lie argues in any case that there’s “little likelihood” of each he and Ewan ending up within the entrance group and preventing for the victory subsequent Saturday on the By way of Roma.
“Perhaps we’ll each nonetheless be up there on the foot of the Cipressa, then afterwards we’ll have a dialogue,” he mentioned. “By the highest of that climb, we’ll have an thought of who’s going properly or not. And if we’re each nonetheless up there on the high of the Poggio, then it’s going to be as much as the workforce’s sports activities administrators to do their job.”
“However hopefully we’ll each be there, that may improve our possibilities of the race staying collectively and fortunately we’re each very quick.”
In any case, De Lie dominated out going for a pre-bunch dash assault in his first-ever San Remo participation, in the way in which that he did to such memorable impact at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
“No,” he mentioned. “You’d need to be so much stronger than I’m proper now. In different races, even in Het Nieuwsblad for instance, I did assault, however that race is completely different. I’d already accept getting over the Poggio after which I would need to see how I felt afterwards. That might rely so much on how the race is enjoying out.”
Whereas San Remo’s finales are well-known for creating a number of completely different, unpredictable, situations, De Lie’s needs for dangerous climate on Saturday look unlikely to fulfilled. The present forecast for all this week for the San Remo space – and all of northern Italy actually – is for dry, heat climate and temperatures to rise to 15-20°C.
However, come rain or shine, the Belgian will certainly wish to be within the thick of the motion on Saturday.
