'I don't think I've ever felt this bad' - De Lie struggles at Giro d'Italia

When Arnaud De Lie claimed his first victory of the season at the Lotto Famenne Ardenne Classic, it was a positive sign ahead of the Giro d'Italia, but things haven’t gone to plan. 

De Lie admitted that he felt in fine health as he departed Charleroi airport on Tuesday en route to Bulgaria. However, he began to feel the symptoms during the flight, explaining, “I felt myself getting worse. I don’t think I have ever felt this bad.”

De Lie’s struggles have been visible during the Grande Partenza in Bulgaria. The 24-year-old found himself as one of the first riders distanced from the peloton on stages 2 and 3 on the climbs. 

While he was able to return to the peloton on both occasions, he was unable to contest the finish and improve on his 21st-place finish on the opening stage. 

Liam Slock had to withdraw from the Lotto line-up, and he was replaced by Joshua Giddings, while Milan Menten was also struggling with illness and travelled to Bulgaria on Wednesday evening. With De Lie also missing the team presentation, Lotto-Intermarché only had five riders at the team presentation, an illustration of the impact of illness. 

Despite the speculation that the illness was caused by a suspected cow dung infection during the Lotto Famenne Ardenne Classic, Lotto team doctor Gerard Ackerl admitted that it isn’t a certainty to be the cause. 

“That is a hypothesis, but not a certainty,” said Ackerl. “It is clear that they contracted gastroenteritis. Recovering from that takes a huge toll on the body.” 

Ackerl was asked when he expects De Lie and Menten to be fighting fit. Difficult to predict, because we do not know the exact cause. So we do not know with certainty what caused the acute attack.”

“Moreover, every body reacts differently. Will Milan recover faster because he got sick sooner? We cannot say. We only know that they will get better. The most important measure we have taken is that we have put them in the same room together.”