We should know better. The 23-year-old Thibau Nys has dominated cyclocross in recent weeks, and immediately there are whispers here and there that during the Christmas period he should be able to challenge Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert as well. But if you look at the big gaps in previous winters, that gap will not yet be closed at the confrontation in Namur. That’s what Baloise Glowi Lions team director Eric Braes thinks in an interview with our website.
We witnessed a triumvirate of wins by the young Belgian champion in Hamme, Tábor, and Flamanville, making you think he’s in top form. Appearances are deceiving, according to his team director. “The last two weeks were absolutely not super weeks, even though that seems to be the case based on his results. He felt off during training and was battling a cold, which he eventually caught.”
“That might be hard for outsiders to believe, because I agree that Thibau sometimes looked dominant during races,” Braes laughs. “But that’s precisely because he did less intense road training. That way, he arrived at those cyclocross events fresher than expected and could keep winning there with fresh legs.”
Seeking balance
However, Nys’s ambitions go beyond cyclocross. Few long training sessions at this time of year can be detrimental to his spring road racing goals. You see the same with his direct rivals for those Classics: Mathieu van der Poel is not starting his cyclocross season lightly and might return to the field a week later, in Namur or Antwerp.
Thibau Nys, here in Tábor, dominates - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
The team therefore sent Nys on training camp alongside Lars van der Haar. That was planned before the season started, but is now an extra welcome. “Winning all those cyclocross races is nice, but it mustn’t come at the expense of the road,” says Braes. “This is the ideal time to build his base for the road season. It’s necessary to start training hard again. That’s why he’s skipping the World Cup weekend in Italy. He shouldn’t focus on anything right now. There’s a fair amount of volume scheduled in the coming two weeks.”
Yet the team director admits that balancing this is not easy. “It’s a constant balancing act to put the puzzle together correctly. Especially since Thibau is still only 23 years young. It’s easier to combine this with someone who is 27-28. But we notice he’s increasingly better at handling those workouts and differences. Finding that threshold is improving more and more.”
How about Van der Poel?
Braes cannot deny that the level of young Nys in cyclocross has risen somewhat compared to a year ago, resulting in a far more dominant and consistent Nys. The Belgian champion was at times so strong that several experts in the cyclocross world dreamt of a battle with Wout van Aert and world champion Mathieu van der Poel during the Christmas period.
National coach Angelo De Clercq told our website: “Maybe he can fill the position in the top three that Tom Pidcock has occupied a few times. Thibau sometimes comes close, on a really good day like in Tábor.” And former world champion Bart Wellens said: “In my opinion, Nys should now aim to be the first ever to really challenge Mathieu successfully. That alone would be an honor.”
Will we see the same podium again at the World Championships? - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
They dreamed out loud, but the Belgian team is more cautious. “I think we should look more towards Wout’s level than Mathieu’s to close that gap and engage in those really tough duels. Then Mathieu automatically gets closer. But to say now: we hope Thibau can battle Mathieu here or there, we remain careful about that. Hoping for a duel is one thing, beating him is another. We shouldn’t fixate too much on that.”
Braes preaches realism. “Staying close in a cyclocross race is already a victory. If you can build on races like last year’s in Hoogerheide, where he was the only one who at times anticipated Mathieu’s accelerations, that’s actually very impressive. With a slightly stronger Thibau, maybe you can hang in until halfway through the cross or the early finale. But that gap will still be too big to beat Mathieu in a pure finale. That’s just not realistic.”
Distant future
The team director does see possibilities further ahead. “Let’s hope for the neutral cyclocross fan that the gap with Wout shrinks regardless. Then we can start looking towards Mathieu. He might surprise us, but we have to see that growth step by step. And try to come closer each year ourselves. That’s not immediate, but maybe in the future.”
Thibau Nys
