A third place for hometown rider Thibau Nys on New Year's Day in the X2O Trofee Baal. He had a tough start in the race named after his father – the GP Sven Nys – but eventually recovered and rode onto the podium. "I felt like I was still half asleep," Nys said in the flash interview afterwards about the opening phase.
"I didn’t have the freshest legs, so I chose to do my own thing," continued the 23-year-old rider from Baloise Insurance-Het Poetsbureau Lions. "Mathieu and Emiel went off quite strong right away. I felt that I might have fallen off the podium if I tried to follow them, so I did my own thing."
Content
Afterwards, Nys ended up in a group with Joris Nieuwenhuis, Toon Aerts, and Jente Michels. "Halfway through the race, I realized I was the strongest among the chasers and that I could ride onto third place. But at the start, I had to conserve my energy as much as possible."
In the end, Nys is happy with his third place. "Honestly, yes. I didn’t feel great this morning, not during the reconnaissance or the warm-up either. But I regained control during the race to secure the podium. Maybe I missed a chance to push for second place, but I’m pleased with third and think that was the best I could do today."
Busy holiday period
Nys is racing a full cyclocross season again this year, after having also completed a long road season. Has he learned from that that his body has limits? "Definitely, definitely. It’s something we need to reflect on season after season to see how we can optimize going forward. I love both disciplines too much to give either up completely, but maybe the combination can be managed a bit better. It’s been a busy Christmas period, so I definitely feel it creeping into my legs today."
X²O Badkamers Trofee - GP Sven Nys| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 59:04 | |
| 2 | + 37 | |
| 3 | + 01:16 | |
| 4 | + 01:24 | |
| 5 | + 01:26 | |
| 6 | + 01:59 | |
| 7 | + 02:27 | |
| 8 | + 02:38 | |
| 9 | + 02:46 | |
| 10 | + 03:03 |
