Nys takes merciless victory in Zeddam to claim second European Championship title

The course in Zeddam proved to be tough enough for a spectacular finale to the European Championships. The organizers would have hoped for a less controversial finale than Saturday’s, when Lucinda Brand was declared the winner after Marie Schreiber was disqualified. In the elite men’s race, there were plenty of contenders, so an open battle was expected.

Belgium had a host of top contenders, including Thibau Nys, Michael Vanthourenhout, Joran Wyseure, and others, but they faced competition from riders such as Joris Nieuwenhuis, Cameron Mason, and Felipe Orts. However, it was Switzerland’s Kevin Kühn who was the first to come out of the first turn, with a group of Dutch riders close behind: Nieuwenhuis, as well as Mees Hendrikx, Ryan Kamp, and Danny van Lierop, got off to a strong start.

It was Hendrikx who quickly took the lead. Outsiders Mason, Pim Ronhaar, and Gerben Kuypers got off to a slow start. Vanthourenhout and Nys also lost a few positions in the first lap. After one lap, a breakaway group had formed, consisting of Orts, Kühn, Laurens Sweeck, Niels Vandeputte, Wyseure, Nieuwenhuis, and Hendrikx. A group of about ten pursuers, including Nys and Vanthourenhout, were already having to close the gap.

However, that gap was quickly closed. A leading group of fourteen had formed, after which a brief lull ensued. The Dutch men were ready to take the bull by the horns, with Kamp taking the lead this time. Nys had to make a bike change, causing him to drop back a few places. But as they entered the fourth lap, he was able to get back to the front.

He took the lead and picked up the pace significantly. He put pressure on his rivals, and just at that moment, Vanthourenhout had a chain problem. In no time, Nys built up a substantial lead, just before the 99 steps of Zeddam. Kühn and Wyseure joined forces to give chase, but Vanthourenhout, Vandeputte, Orts, Nieuwenhuis, and the others weren’t too far behind either. But when they started looking at each other, the gap suddenly widened considerably.

Wyseure and Kühn caught up with the lone leader. Nieuwenhuis accelerated from the chasing group and tried to move up, but still had to close a small gap. Vanthourenhout wanted to keep up with the Dutch chaser, which of course wasn’t ideal for him. Before the climb, Nys put pressure on his fellow escapees again, but the group with Nieuwenhuis had also closed the gap somewhat.

Could the gap still be closed? It was getting harder and harder because of Nys’s pace. Kühn was worn down by the effort, but Wyseure still kept his compatriot in sight and caught up again with three laps to go. Those two seemed to be the strongest in Zeddam, but Kühn wasn’t far behind. Orts, Nieuwenhuis, and Vandeputte could also still see the leaders on the climb.

They were joined by the rapidly advancing Mason, who had fought his way back from 28th place at the start. He took the lead among the chasers and closed in on Kühn in one fell swoop. Was there more in it for the flying Brit? If so, he’d have to close an eight-second gap to the leaders. With one lap to go, it was far from over!

Nys held back for a long time, but picked up the pace shortly after entering the final lap. Wyseure had to let him pull away by a few meters, but the powerhouse was never far behind. He was right back on his heels on the stairs, but just as they hit the steps, Nys surged ahead and opened up a significant gap on Wyseure. He kept pushing hard, but you know Wyseure never gives up.

It was about three seconds. Nys took enormous risks and nearly fell. It gave Wyseure, who was chasing him, a glimmer of hope. But Nys still seemed unstoppable. Little by little, he pulled away, securing his victory. It was his second European Championship title. Wyseure finished second.

1. Thibau Nys
2. Joran Wyseure + 0.07
3. Niels Vandeputte + 0.19
4. Joris Nieuwenhuis "
5. Kevin Kühn "