Young Belgian sprint rider Arnaud de Rie says that after nine wins in his debut season as a pro, he is now looking to compete in Paris-Roubaix and then the 2023 Tour de Flanders.

Lotto-Soudal's De Lier won nine races, starting with the Challenge Mallorca in January and ending with the Egmont Cycling Classic in August. At that time, the 20-year-old de Lier had already extended his contract with the team for another year. He finished the season at the Paris-Tours, where he crashed and was unable to fight his way to the finish.

He cut his teeth in classics such as Ghent-Wevelgem, Coone-Brussels-Coone and Scheldeprijs, and his best result at the World Tour level was fourth at the Bretagne Classique-Aust-France. He said his next ideal start would be in Paris-Roubaix.

Even if Lotto-Soudal fails to make the top 18 in the triennial team rankings and is demoted from the World Tour, a Paris-Roubaix start is a realistic option. They should be in a position to receive.

The 20-year-old, who is under contract with Lotto Dostony until 2024, told Belgian media outlets Sporza and RTBF that he is eager to "simply keep improving my sprinting."

"There were some races last season where I was probably the fastest guy in the race, but still not experienced enough for me and my teammates to finish.

De Lier noted that next year should go better, as he and his teammates did not race for very long.

"I think we will be an even better group next season, both in the sprints and the classics.

De Lier's off-season program is running and helping out on his father's farm. However, after finishing seventh in the 2019 Junior Paris-Roubaix and winning the Belgian Junior National title, De Lier said he hopes to "participate in the Tour de Flanders, especially Paris-Roubaix" in 2023.

"But it's just a matter of time, I want to do well and the team thinks it's best.