Thibau Nys Felt He Could Beat Mathieu van der Poel in Namur World Cup

Beating Mathieu van der Poel? According to Thibau Nys, it was definitely possible during the World Cup at Namur. That it didn’t work out for the Belgian champion of Baloise Glowi Lions was entirely his own doing, was Nys junior’s conclusion right after the race: "You have to seize the opportunity and not complain, because it was my own mistake."

"I felt like I was in control," Nys began his story after the finish. "With Mathieu back in the race, there’s a big factor that brings unpredictability, but on the way it felt like I was in control."

Nys started the final lap together with Van der Poel, Michael Vanthourenhout, and Lars van der Haar, feeling confident. "I still had an explosion left in my legs and was at the front, well-positioned. There I made a small and stupid mistake that cost me a lot of seconds. I dropped back to fourth place and still had power, but Mathieu had already taken off..."

'This is where you have to seize your chances against Mathieu'
"Before the race, I didn’t expect this," he refers to his battle for the win deep into the finale. "I felt that I was going to be close to victory, but it can’t be any other way... You have to seize the opportunity and not complain, because it was my own mistake," he says. "That’s really unfortunate. This is where you have to grab your chances, on this course and in these conditions."

"There are quite a few races coming up where, if I have the same good day, those chances won’t come against Mathieu. Here in Namur, I could make a difference with weight. In other races, that will be harder. But I didn’t seize the chance. That’s a shame, but I can only blame myself."

'When Mathieu attacked, I could stay on his wheel'
For Nys, this was his first race after a short training period. "It was an adjustment to do a cross effort again, but there was power, and when Mathieu attacked, I could stay on his wheel. I wanted to launch another explosion in the finale, but I didn’t get to that," he reflects. Incidentally, Nys remains the World Cup leader after his second place in Namur.