{"id":230623,"date":"2026-02-27T10:50:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T10:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/27\/when-it-comes-to-following-mathieu-im-still-lacking-50-watts-arnaud-de-lie-argues-van-der-poel-will-make-for-much-more-explosive-omloop-het-nieuwsblad\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T10:50:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T10:50:32","slug":"when-it-comes-to-following-mathieu-im-still-lacking-50-watts-arnaud-de-lie-argues-van-der-poel-will-make-for-much-more-explosive-omloop-het-nieuwsblad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/27\/when-it-comes-to-following-mathieu-im-still-lacking-50-watts-arnaud-de-lie-argues-van-der-poel-will-make-for-much-more-explosive-omloop-het-nieuwsblad\/","title":{"rendered":"‘When it comes to following Mathieu, I’m still lacking 50 watts’ \u2013 Arnaud De Lie argues Van der Poel will make for much more explosive Omloop Het Nieuwsblad"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Mathieu van der Poel’s bombshell announcement that he will be racing Omloop Het Nieuwsblad<\/a> not only means there is a standout favourite for Saturday’s season opener. As leading Belgian contender Arnaud De Lie <\/a>(Lotto-Intermarch\u00e9) pointed out in his pre-race press conference, the Dutch star’s presence will likely reshape the shape of the entire race.<\/p>\n

While the combination of a headwind and a lack of aggressivity in the peloton saw virtually no major attacks go clear, with perennial Classics contender Stefan K\u00fcng’s late charge off the front<\/a> one of the very few attempts to fight against the fast-rising tide of probability that the race would end in a bunch sprint.<\/p>\n

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