Thibau Nys "still loves cyclo-cross more than road racing," but will start the season later

In recent years, Nys has increasingly shifted his focus from cyclo-cross to road racing, but unlike Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, he has always been there on time in recent winters. The two big stars of cyclo-cross have been opting for a December debut for some time now, but Nys had already competed in Beringen on October 12 the previous year.

This year, that will be three weeks later. The Koppenbergcross is scheduled for November 1, a race that Nys won in 2023 and that always suits him well. “That's putting himself out there right away, because the Koppenbergcross is a serious challenge,” his father, Sven, emphasized. “His start is indeed a little later than other years. That is obviously due to his busy summer program.”

Nys started at the beginning of April this year in the Gran Premio Miguel Indurain, where he won immediately. He then rode the Tour of the Basque Country and completed the Ardennes classics for the first time. A fifth place in Liège-Bastogne-Liège was an impressive debut. After a training block, Nys moved on to the Tour de France via the GP Gippingen, Baloise Belgium Tour, and the Belgian Championship.

It was his first Grand Tour and, due to a heavy crash in the first week, it was not a very pleasant experience. After the Tour, the pressure eased off for a while, and Nys restarted in the Renewi Tour and was seen in the Bretagne Classic at the end of August. In a week, he will be in Canada for the one-day races in Québec and Montréal. After that, it's over for 2025.

Everyone understood that he needed a more extended break, but according to Sven Nys, his son Thibau is simply too passionate about cyclo-cross to start in December. “He still loves cyclo-cross more than road cycling,” he said emphatically. Nys also did very well last winter, winning titles at the Belgian Championships and European Championships and finishing third at the World Championships. He also won five classification races.