Thibau Nys shifts focus and saves Edward Theuns' Tour, father Sven Nys reconsidered his words of concern

Before the start of stage 7, which finished atop the Mûr-de-Bretagne, Nys was still able to smile. Speaking to Sporza, he expressed the shock he felt at the guys surrounding him during his Tour debut. “It’s crazy, man. Okay, I’m not the best version of myself - how I move through the peloton, my numbers… But on the other hand, I sometimes also wonder: what are all these guys doing the rest of the season? Why don’t I ever see them?”

A fair question, because there are so many riders who underperform all year long, only to shine at the Tour de France. “When you see how ‘easily’ I win races sometimes, it makes you think these other guys are leaving a lot on the table, right? Here, they’re riding two or three levels above anything I’ve ever seen. It’s a shame I’m just missing those two or three percent. And still, I’m pushing numbers that are insanely high. But then I look around and see that barely 10 or 15 riders have been dropped.”

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Things need to improve, and father Sven Nys believes they can. He sees his son chasing the facts since the crash on day one. “He’s not feeling great in terms of top condition, and when that’s the case, you experience the race very differently. It feels like the entire peloton is riding 5 kilometers per hour faster. I also see behind the scenes that the power and performance he’s showing now in the Tour are definitely not the values that he normally puts out in a race. His numbers are much lower,” he told Sporza.

The illness Thibau experienced leading up to the Belgian National Championships didn’t help either, and the crash only set Nys back further. “Of course everyone’s at peak level here, but he’s not where he needs to be. That creates a situation where he’s never in position and always just happy to reach the finish line,” Nys senior explained.

“But it shouldn’t become an ordeal,” he emphasized. “Things should improve, but the question is whether that’s still possible. For now, we’re monitoring his recovery. How he wakes up in the morning and how he communicates. If suddenly there’s a dip, then you have to start considering other options. For now, he’s not getting into trouble, but he also can’t push his max power. Sometimes sport is very simple, and sometimes it’s very complex.”

"It shouldn't be a struggle," he emphasized, however. "It should improve, but the question is whether that is possible. For now, we are monitoring his recovery and how he wakes up in the morning and communicates. If there is a sudden dip, you will have to make alternative choices. But for now, he is not in trouble, although he cannot ride at his maximum capacity. Sometimes sport is very simple, but sometimes it is also very complex."

A few days after these concerned words, Sporza took a more positive view after stage 10. “I was happy when I saw him cross the finish line; he even made a little jump, and he was smiling. That's the first time I've seen him cross the finish line like that in this Tour. Today, he sacrificed himself for the green jersey and for Edward Theuns, who was struggling with saddle problems. After the finish, he said that Thibau had saved him.”

“He made sure everyone got in safely. He crossed the finish line with energy to spare, and thanks to the rest day, that will give him some oxygen in his head,” said Sven proudly. “He's not in good enough shape to have ambitions of his own, but he can play a role for the team. If he can finish the Tour, and it's physically and mentally sustainable, then he should try. It will make him a better rider.”

On the first rest day of the Tour, the young Nys spoke about his first days in the Tour. “I hope to get through today and then start improving. It's good to reset the body and relax,” Nys told HLN. How did Nys experience the tough tenth stage himself? “I expected it to be worse. I think everyone did, to some extent. I found my own pace and a good group. It was actually a nice stage.”

Nys was pleased that, after a long journey on Monday evening, he was able to get into bed and enjoy his first rest day of the Grand Tour on Tuesday. “What has the first part of the Tour brought me? I haven't thought about that yet. Of course, there was some disappointment after these first ten days. I had expected much more. But it is what it is, and you can't change it.”

A “chain of events” has prevented Nys from “getting the most out of it,” according to the Lidl-Trek rider. “And that's just a shame. But yesterday (stage 10, ed.) was reasonably positive. I hope the rest day will help, and then we'll get through it.” Where does Nys see opportunities in the rest of the Tour? “We'll see today. I'm here to help the team.”