ProTeam Arnaud De Lie beaten on the line in Omloop van het Houtland

Lotto Soudal-sprinter Arnaud De Lie came in second in the bunch sprint in Lichtervelde’s Omloop van het Houtland. The 20-year-old sprinter was beaten on the line by Tour de France stagewinner Jasper Philipsen.

Lotto Soudal came to the Omloop van het Houtland with a clear goal: sprinting for victory with Arnaud De Lie. Viktor Verschaeve made sure the breakaway did not get too much space. He succeeded and in the final kilometer the break was reeled in. After the works of Michael Schwarzmann, Brent Van Moer and Florian Vermeersch, it was up to Roger Kluge and Rüdiger Selig to get Arnaud De Lie in perfect position to the final straight.

“There I was perfectly positioned in the wheel of Jasper Philipsen, while Rüdiger was still in the lead”, tells Arnaud De Lie about the finale meters. “After the last two sprints, I did not want to risk getting boxed in again. For that reason, maybe I started my sprint a bit too early. I felt really strong and was able to sustain my effort for a long time, but Jasper Philipsen just passed me in the last 20 meters. I am still only 20 years old and with a bit more experience, I would probably not make this mistake. It is a pity, but at the same time I can be happy with my form. This isn’t a bad podium to be on: both Jasper Philipsen and number three, Dylan Groenewegen, won a stage in the latest Tour de France.”