He’s happy to enjoy his second Belgian title in cyclocross, but less than half an hour after his victory in Beringen, Thibau Nys was already talking about the perfectionist in himself. For the 23-year-old Nys, the goals keep piling up quickly, especially now that he will soon have to switch back from cyclocross to road racing. That remains a challenge.
The way Nys sealed the win was quite telling in that regard. The leader of the Baloise Insurance-Cleaning Services Lions never built up a big gap: partly thanks to a strong Emiel Verstrynge, but also because Nys himself made a few mistakes. “I would have liked to make it a little less tense, to have a bit more calm around me in that final lap. But I knew Emiel is someone who definitely wouldn’t just fade away,” Nys explains to our camera.
“That’s why I also had to stay very consistent, keep pedaling hard uphill, and avoid mistakes in the descents. In the last half lap, that was mainly my focus. But then I came to a complete stop on the last climb, which I definitely didn’t expect. That made things tense with Emiel again. But it was also about playing it safe, staying error-free, being cautious, and making sure you’re not passed.”
So here we have an elated Thibau Nys?
“The perfectionist in me is still not fully satisfied here. I just feel I’m a few percent off compared to the first two or three weeks of the season. I am satisfied, of course, because I am Belgian champion. That’s fantastic, don’t get me wrong. But something inside me thinks: where did I leave that top form, and how can I prevent that or approach it differently next year? That will never change.”
Nys on his solo in Beringen – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Previously you said you already considered it a good winter, giving yourself 7.5 out of 10. Has that changed?
“In my evaluation, my season has gone from ‘good’ to ‘very good.’ I needed to win that Belgian title in a certain way, but that’s separate from my performances during the rest of the season. I had said beforehand that I would only be satisfied with the title, and this afternoon I succeeded in that.”
Did you start with enough self-confidence?
“It took quite a while before I got a signal from my body that after the busy Christmas period I was fully ready, but yesterday during training I suddenly felt: there’s something there. The body responded well, and I felt that immediately in the race. Until that last climb when the ‘man with the hammer’ showed up, of course.”
Are you now ready to train hard in Spain over the coming weeks?
This morning I still consulted with my coach (Paul Van den Bosch, ed.). I know I put in a lot of work the week leading up to the World Championships and Benidorm last year. But this time the Christmas period has been tougher than expected. I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle as much ‘load’ as last year, but of course I hope so. That means lots of fun, lots, and hard training in the coming week. I’m looking forward to it, but my body has to manage it. I’ll just take it as it comes.”
Do you mainly need to focus on the World Championships or your road season?
“That’s double, and actually those two go a bit hand in hand. After the busy Christmas period, a lot of training hours are necessary in the coming weeks anyway. Whether that’s for the Worlds or the road makes little difference. The most important thing is that I don’t want to slack off. I want to finish the winter at the highest possible level. I don’t know what Mathieu (van der Poel, ed.) will do in Benidorm; there’s still a small chance I could win the World Cup. I also want to ride a strong Worlds. Basically, I just want to close this winter on a good note.”
Nys in the tricolor jersey in Beringen – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
That’s not so obvious. Emiel Verstrynge, for example, is quitting cyclocross after today.
>“That’s a shame, but of course that’s his decision. He’s a very good rider, who will also have a course in Hulst where he’s a podium contender. I understand his choice very well: the road is important. I realize that there are still about three weeks where I myself can’t switch the focus fully to the road season as I should. Something in me also says now: I want to focus on the classical spring on the road, because then you give your body more rest and put it under much less physical stress.”
“But on the other hand, I love cyclocross too much to skip the Worlds and the World Cups. It’s an eternal dilemma that Emiel also faces, just like me. I understand his choice 100 percent, but if he had ridden the Worlds, it would have been the same. That’s what I do; there are two options, and there’s no right or wrong choice. It remains a fine line.”
Thibau Nys
