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Cow pies in Belgium blamed for Lotto's pre-Giro woes

Cow pies in Belgium blamed for Lotto's pre-Giro woes

If a butterfly flaps its wings at the Famenne Ardennes Classic, does a Giro sprinter spend the next few days in the toilet?

Arnaud De Lie just hours before he apparently ingested the fecal matter of cows in his home region of Wallonia.

Cor Vos

Arnaud De Lie and several Lotto-Intermarché teammates have had a rough few days in the run-up to the Giro d'Italia, and Belgian cattle are apparently to blame.

De Lie was one of multiple Lotto riders who missed Thursday's team presentation in Burgas, Bulgaria, due to stomach issues, while another team member – Liam Slock – was scratched from the race entirely. According to reports in Belgian media, the team believes that the riders became sick after coming into contact with cow dung spraying up in the air at the Famenne Ardenne Classic.

De Lie won the race but he later paid a heavy price.

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