Belgian cycling fans get encouraging Tour de France update from Thibau Nys: "Definitely didn't ease off"

Nys must have been shocked when, after a good time trial in the Baloise Belgium Tour, he started feeling ill and decided not to start on day four. “Unfortunately, Thibau and Tim felt ill during the night. Due to stomach and intestinal problems, they will not be able to start,” wrote Lidl-Trek. Nys' coach Paul Van den Bosch was already putting minds at ease at the time: “Thibau is not seriously ill. He might even have been able to start and finish in the peloton. However, that couldn't have been the intention. Other races are coming up.”

It turned out to be the right decision, as Nys recovered quickly, and any concerns about the Tour de France were erased. “I think I'm back to my old self,” Nys confirmed on Sunday morning before the Belgian Championships at Sporza. “My illness was over very quickly. It just cost me a rough night and a bit of fever, but the next day, I was already much better. I've had a good week. I've trained well, and I certainly haven't taken it easy.”

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In the end, everything went so well that Nys expressed ambitions for the Belgian National Championships. "I'm just hoping for a good day and the right legs. But I think I've been better in the past, yes. I was at my best during the Ardennes races. The Belgian Championships are always challenging, regardless of the course. The racing is tough, and I'm looking forward to it. For me, the group at the finish should be as small as possible, but it depends on my legs.“

Afterward, Nys analyzed his legs as ”not bad, but not great either" on VTM. “I really needed to acquire some toughness today, and I remember the last hour when I started to feel a bit better. I didn't have the energy to respond to everything; I'm not sure if that was due to the illness. Those are details that are difficult to pinpoint. It wasn't bad, but I didn't have the legs I had last year. I'm looking forward to starting the Tour.”