De Lie abandons Tour de France: a nightmare stage 3 for the sprinter

Arnaud De Lie was forced to abandon the 2026 Tour de France, abandoning the race during a brutal and unforgiving stage 3. Another bitter chapter for the Belgian sprinter from Lotto-Intermarché, who seemed to have regained some serenity after months of misadventures, but instead finds himself having to deal with yet another Grande Boucle that has been wrecked prematurely.

History repeats itself, almost with cruel punctuality. In May, De Lie had to abandon the Giro d'Italia after just three stages due to illness. This time, the scenario was practically identical: gastrointestinal problems had already forced him to miss the team presentations on Thursday, pre-race training had been an ordeal, and since the start in Barcelona, ​​the Belgian has never found his rhythm.

He had played a marginal role in the opening team time trial, while in the second stage he had crossed the finish line in last place overall. But it was the third stage, with the route climbing towards the Pyrenees' mid-mountain range under a scorching sun, that finally broke his spirit.

Dropped almost immediately from the peloton, on a day where the pace was already hellish from the start—compelled by a breakaway that was extremely difficult to form—De Lie quickly found himself several minutes behind. As the kilometers ticked by, the gap continued to grow inexorably: with 40 kilometers to go, the gap had surpassed the thirty-minute mark, raising the real threat of elimination for exceeding the time limit.

In the end, however, there was no need to wait for the clock to tell: De Lie abandoned the race, before even reaching the finish line. Yet another chapter in a season that seems to be targeting him with almost surreal ferocity.

It's no coincidence that, a few weeks ago, De Lie himself jokingly declared that "I'll soon become a Buddhist monk," such was the avalanche of bad luck that had befallen him. He had said it at the Tour de Wallonie in early June—where he still managed to win a stage, a flash of light in a leaden sky—but the inner peace he longs for still seems far away.

Fantasy cycling: what does this mean for our lineups? If you were banking on De Lie as a wildcard for the Tour's fast stages, now's the time to make amends. The Belgian was already a risky option given his precarious condition, and now he's officially out of contention. Clear his slot in your lineup and focus on in-form sprinters: with the upcoming stages favoring sprinters, there's no shortage of options to invest your credentials in.