Thibau Nys dominates in Koppenbergcross comeback, Cameron Mason puts up a fight and shines in second

European Champion Thibau Nys has claimed victory at the Koppenbergcross. In his return to cyclocross, the Belgian from Baloise Trek Lions struck immediately with a stunning win in Oudenaarde. Nys took the lead early and soloed to a dominant triumph, ahead of the impressive Brit Cameron Mason, who finished second. Pim Ronhaar rounded out the podium in third.

After Lucinda Brand had won a thrilling duel against Célia Gery, it was time for the men to take on the muddy cobbles. All eyes were on the much-anticipated return of Thibau Nys to the field. The European Champion was facing serious competition in Oudenaarde, with Toon Aerts, Pim Ronhaar, Joris Nieuwenhuis, Michael Vanthourenhout, and many others on the start line.

Also present was Lars van der Haar, who is nearing retirement and had won the previous edition of this X2O Trophy race. But it wasn’t the expected favorites who took charge at the start — Wout Janssen led early, only to be overtaken by Victor Van de Putte and Toon Aerts, teammates for Hens-Deschacht. That trio built a small gap, but a crash by Aerts upended the opening lap.

Ronhaar and Britain’s Cameron Mason moved to the front, while Nys was already charging through the pack. He linked up with Jente Michels, and after just one lap, a lead group had formed. Van de Putte followed in fifth, while big names like Nieuwenhuis, Van der Haar, and Vanthourenhout were already struggling — especially when the European Champion turned up the pace.

Nys quickly showed that he was on another level, powering away from everyone. British Champion Mason tried to hang on and even managed to close the gap after a small mistake from Nys. That didn’t last long — on the steep Koppenberg, the Belgian was simply in a class of his own. Mason was ten seconds down, Ronhaar and Michels already twenty-five — it was fast, blisteringly fast.

Purely on power, no one could touch Nys, though he was a bit sloppy on the technical sections, which allowed Mason to stay within sight and keep things tense. Still, Nys steadily extended his lead, always making the difference on the climbs. Behind them, Ronhaar dropped Michels, who then suffered a mechanical issue and had to walk up the Koppenberg, and say goodbye to his podium chances.

On the cobbles, Mason clearly couldn’t match Nys, but in the mud, he was superb — nearly his equal until a crash on an off-camber section. That seemed to end any lingering hopes of an upset, as Nys found his rhythm and cleaned up his mistakes. He entered the final lap with a lead of 25 seconds.

Van der Haar was mounting a comeback, but he was too far back to challenge for the podium. Mason managed to hold Nys’s lead steady but couldn’t close the gap. Ronhaar trailed at 1.20 minutes, comfortably ahead of the next group, where four riders were still battling for fourth place.

Nys could afford to enjoy the final lap, celebrating with friends along the course. He crossed the line to take a phenomenal victory on his return to the cyclocross circuit. Mason took a well-earned second, about twenty seconds back, and Ronhaar finished third. Van de Putte claimed fourth, narrowly beating Aerts and Van der Haar in that fight.