Thibau Nys goes through stages 6 and 7, which are important for him, and gets some encouraging words from his father Sven

Nys finished the chrono in Caen in 155th place: a clear sign that he didn’t go all-out over the 33 kilometers against the clock. “In the time trial, it was mainly about finding the balance between getting some rest and not starting too relaxed,” said the Belgian after showering. “It always hurts a little bit, but that’s okay.”

“You still need to keep the body going a bit, but also recover from the past few days. And I think I did that perfectly,” said the puncheur, who finished 53rd heading into Rouen and gained some confidence from that. “Physically, I’ve made a big step compared to the first two stages, and my positioning still needs to improve a bit.”

Stages six and seven are typical Thibau Nys days, as team director Steven de Jongh described before the Tour de France. “I do feel my confidence growing, and that’s positive. I needed that a bit, and it’s coming along well.”

On Thursday, there’s a stage with over three thousand meters of climbing, finishing in Vire Normandie. “I still need to take a detailed look at it, but I know the finish kicks up steeply. The key will be to arrive there as fresh as possible and in a good position.”

On Friday, the peloton heads towards the Mur de Bretagne. A tough finish, Nys knows. “I think it’s going to be really hard there. If Tadej Pogacar unleashes his power, no one will be able to follow. That effort is just a bit too long,” said Nys, who also received some encouraging words from his father Sven on social media. “Here is where I let you go. With ups and downs. From here, you have to go on,” his father wrote.