The forced stop for De Lie: “I was going very fast and I was sure to win”

On track to win, the Walloon fell heavily in the sprint following a dangerous maneuver from Welsford.

The clamor was strong for Arnaud De Lie. A clamor launched warmly by the many spectators massed along the finish line in Aniche. But that’s not the acclaim the young Walloon rider was hoping to receive. He could not savor it on the podium at the end of the first stage of the Four Days of Dunkirk which he was aiming for. This clamor, he heard it at the foot of the podium, when the paramedics hoisted him up on a stretcher and took him to the ambulance, to take him to the hospital for examinations. “I hope things are still going well for Arnaud”launched Philippe Gilbert a few meters further.