'It wasn’t the right decision' - Lotto’s Giro gamble backfires with two abandons after cow dung bacteria scare

De Lie climbed off during stage 4, the first stage on Italian soil, after three days of struggling through the race’s Bulgarian start. Menten reached the finish in Cosenza, but only as one of the last riders home, more than 18 minutes down on stage winner Jhonatan Narváez. He made clear afterwards that continuing the race would look impossible. 

“There wasn’t much more I could do than survive today,” Menten told Het Nieuwsblad. “I won’t start tomorrow. That’s simply impossible. We tried, and we hoped the rest day would help us get through it, but that hasn’t been the case. As soon as I make an effort, I completely blow up.”

The Belgian team confirmed ahead of stage 5 that Menten would not take to the start line due to his illness, marking another blow. 

Both De Lie and Menten were among the Lotto-Intermarché riders who became ill after the Famenne Ardenne Classic, which De Lie won. The team has linked the outbreak to a bacterial infection that caused stomach and intestinal problems, possibly caused by riders being splashed with cow dung during the race. 

Despite those issues, both riders travelled to the Giro and took the start, a decision that now looks to have backfired.

De Lie had already been in trouble whenever the road rose during the second and third stages in Bulgaria. The rest day offered no reset, and on Tuesday he was unable to finish the stage to Cosenza.

Menten had travelled to Bulgaria a day later than the rest of the squad after spending time in emergency care the previous Tuesday. Although he had felt well enough to try to race, the Belgian said his body never properly recovered.

“I don’t think the bacteria is out of our bodies yet,” Menten said. “The body just isn’t absorbing food. The result is that the fatigue only keeps building. Last night I slept from ten in the evening until nine in the morning. You would think the worst was behind you after that, but it wasn’t. It was just really bad.”

Asked whether it had been the right call to start the Giro, Menten was honest.

“Looking back, it wasn’t the right decision,” he said. “But it is what it is. I understand the team too. It was too late to find replacements because there were more riders ill. The team had little to lose by letting us start.”

Lotto-Intermarché had been short of options before the race even began. Sporting manager Kurt Van de Wouwer said seven riders had fallen ill after the Famenne Ardenne Classic, including three who were on the Giro selection. Some possible reserves had also been affected.

“We didn’t have many choices,” Van de Wouwer said. “Arnaud became ill later, while Milan said on Wednesday that he was feeling better and wanted to try. But I’ve also heard from other teams that it is a stubborn bug. Well, this can be added to the list, can’t it?”

For De Lie, the Giro was supposed to be a chance to build on his victory at the Famenne Ardenne Classic and move past a difficult start to the season. Instead, it turned into a short and painful race against his own body.

The team now wants him to focus fully on recovery. Van de Wouwer believes De Lie will be able to put the disappointment into context, given how quickly his condition changed after last week’s win.

“A week ago he won a race,” Van de Wouwer said. “If something like this happens nine days later, then you know there is something in your body. The important thing now is to get healthy again.”

De Lie is expected to return at the Tour de Wallonie in early June, a race he was already keen to ride because it passes close to home. Lotto-Intermarché is also likely to add the Tour de Suisse to his programme, an event where he has gained confidence in recent seasons.