More than just Arnaud De Lie: this is what Lotto Dstny expects from her goldcrests

Niels Bastiaens •
Tuesday, January 9, 2024 at 8:00 AM

Special Sporting manager of Lotto Dstny, Kurt Van de Wouwer, has his affairs in order for 2024. Of course, Arnaud De Lie will be the poster boy, but the team does not only have expectations from the strong Waal. Van de Wouwer also has ambitions with four other young Belgians for the coming road season.

Arnaud De Lie (21)

“I think we can set the bar a little higher for him than last year. By winning in Canada, he showed that he can compete in those big competitions. At the same time, we saw in Paris-Nice that not everything is self-evident and easy. I think we can look at the Flemish spring. If everything goes normally, we expect him to write a classic or semi-classic to his name. At the moment I’m more likely to talk about a semi-classic, although we also know that – if it works out right – a classic is also possible.”

“We have seen that Arnaud brings something exceptional. There are certain races, especially with a difficult finish, that he says: today I win here. If any other rider said that, I would think: what are you saying? But for him it comes out so naturally. And he does that. Without star allure. It all went faster than we expected. And the way he does that, such as the sprint in Canada, is really impressive.”

“De Lie will also ride his first Tour de France in 2024. What the expectations are there is a difficult one. Winning a stage in the Tour will not be easy. I mean: all the top sprinters will be there. And he really needs an ascending finish. Then I think there is only one real chance in next year’s Tour: stage eight or nine. Then it should go well that day.”

Florian Vermeersch (24)

“Florian is really short on time. I think he rode a very regular season last year. But with him you see that that outlier, that victory is missing. Florian can be a rider who, if he wins once, gains confidence and is really off to a good start. I sincerely believe in that.”

“Of course you have Arnaud De Lie as leader. If you add Florian to that, that combination could work well. If those two come together in the final, Florian can also take advantage of this here and there and hopefully shoot that main bird. Although I would keep his target in 2024 as riding finals in the Flemish spring. In any case, those races are tailor-made for him.”

Maxim Van Gils (24)

“Maxim had a very good season last year. He was omnipresent in the Walloon classics, in Liège-Bastogne-Liège he fell just outside the top 10. In the Tour it didn’t matter much if he won a stage, but he was also at the same level towards the end of the year.”

“Van Gils is someone who is still reasonably fast in a small group. If that goes well, we expect him to shoot the main bird. You should not think of a Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but rather a stage in the Tour. There are plenty of difficult rides there where he can join the breakaway. If there are five or six riders left, he is fast enough to win. The same in, say, the Tour of Catalonia.”

“But we also have to be realists. Riders like Florian and Maxim are already trending towards the sub-top. But in that group of riders, not everyone has the right to become a top rider. There will be riders who break through, and others who never do. Not all of them can become top players. And by top riders I mean riders who can win Liège-Bastogne-Liège or the Flèche Wallonne. There are not five like that.”

Alec Segaert (20)

“If you see what Alec did at the Belgian championship, both in time trial and on the road, we can call it a surprise. The road ride was even more surprising than what he did in the time trial. Alec is not a winning type, he is normally not going to win five races in a season. But if you see that he is the only one who can keep up with Evenepoel at that BC – a race where a lot of quality was at the start – then he will still show that.”

“I don’t expect him to compete in all the finals all the time. I think Alec still lacks experience. His positioning, not allowing himself to be outdone at important moments, must be improved. The moment we get that out, he’s gone. Because in terms of engine it is good. I don’t want to set the bar too high for Alec. If you do that, you can also walk underneath it.”

Lionel Taminiaux (27)

“Someone like Taminiaux could surprise this year. He is a rider who has perhaps been a bit underestimated in recent years. In the meantime, I have read left and right that he came into the team because of Arnaud. But I believe he is someone who, if you give him self-confidence and the right opportunities, can also show great things. Just like Milan Menten did this season.”