Arnaud De Lie, at 21 years old, has been recognized as an exceptional talent for several years, catching the attention of Patrick Lefevere. During a guest appearance on the “Live Slow Ride Fast” podcast hosted by former professional cyclists Laurens ten Dam and Stefan Bolt, De Lie shared a humorous story about a visit from Lefevere to his farm.
“Patrick has been following me since I was a junior. But, as a first-year junior, I had already signed a contract with Lotto in November. So I told Patrick that I would be competing with Lotto in the junior category and perhaps in the professionals in 2022. But he still visited me once or twice,” De Lie begins his story.
“Arnaud, is it possible to arrive by helicopter?”
And Lefevere’s visit caused quite a stir, literally, as he made the trip to the Ardennes by helicopter. Arnaud De Lie recounts, “He visited me twice at my home, once in 2022 and again this year, in 2023. The first time, he sent me a message asking if he could call me. On the phone, the question was, ‘Arnaud, is it possible to arrive by helicopter?'”
He asked the question in French, and as you know, he has an accent. So, I said, ‘Sorry, I didn’t understand.’ He had to repeat it two or three times. I asked, ‘By helicopter?’ ‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘Is there space for me to land my helicopter?’ ‘Of course, there’s space to land here on the farm.'”
Despite all the efforts, De Lie did not accept Lefevere’s proposal to join Quick-Step. “Patrick had a great project, but the problem is that I have a lot of confidence in Lotto. It’s a different structure, and I’m still young. In Quick-Step, Remco (Evenepoel) is also there, the atmosphere is different… The Quick-Step project wasn’t better than Lotto’s,” says De Lie, who has a contract with Lotto Dstny until the end of 2026.
