Thibau Nys on eve of world championships: "I will try to follow Van der Poel, but won't overexert myself"

Thibau Nys is the man the Belgians are counting on Sunday at the Cyclo-cross World Championships in Hulst. Although the Belgian acknowledges that Mathieu van der Poel will very likely claim his eighth world title on Sunday, he is not ready to throw in the towel just yet.

"Actually, there is only one place that matters at a World Championship, but I would be very happy with a podium finish," he says realistically to Sporza. "I’m going to try to get off to a very good start and definitely try to follow Mathieu. I don’t want to be left with the feeling that I didn’t even try. I know my body well enough not to push myself too hard; in Benidorm, I quickly put the brakes on. Probably after that, the race within the race will start very quickly."

"I can’t deny that this feels different than going for the title at a championship," Nys continues. "Then you carry that in your head for two weeks. And in that final week, your heart rate can go up by ten beats a minute just thinking about a possible scenario. That feeling is less now, with someone who stands out so far above the rest. It takes away the stress. And I find that a shame, because I actually like that feeling."

Finally, Nys admits that he feels the fatigue after a long season. Still, he believes he will put in a strong performance on Sunday at the Worlds in Hulst. "Am I better than everyone thinks? I don’t think so, but I’m happy with my form and I’ll do everything to be one hundred percent sharp and ready at the start. If I haven’t left anything out there, this World Championship will be a success for me."