Thibau Nys's bright red shorts cause quite a stir at the Koppenbergcross: 'I wanted to go all out'

And that was a color you don’t usually see very often in cycling. Nys was wearing red shorts that blended perfectly with the red stripe on his Belgian tricolor jersey.

The red stood out right away at the start, so during the race, his father Sven was approached for his opinion. “Thibau knows his classics,” his father Sven began.

"I have to be completely honest and say that it was mentioned once in the living room, but Thibau has kept it a secret ever since. If anyone knew about this, it would have been Karen Ramakers, because she’s the one who arranged it. Thibau has done this before, like when he wore my helmet. That’s just part of who he is, and it’s one of the great things about cylocross—how past champions are treated with respect.”

Speaking of champions: Paul Herygers also once rode in a pair of red shorts just like that back in the ’90s. Thibau Nys is said to have had those red shorts made for that very reason.

“I need a moment to process this—if all of this really was hatched in secret,” said cyclocross legend Herygers in his television commentary.

However, it turns out the story is different. IDL Pro Cycling learns this after Nys himself admits in the mixed zone that he didn’t do it for that reason. “Now that you mention it, I remember. I’m a little embarrassed that I didn’t think of this sooner. I did think it had a certain charm.”

Nys had his own reasons for racing in red. “This might have been the last time I’d wear the Belgian jersey—if, under the right circumstances, I could become European champion. So I wanted to go all out.” After the Koppenbergcross, the European Championships in Zeddam, the Netherlands, will be the next cyclocross race Nys will compete in.

"There's really nothing special behind it," said Nys. "I also didn't know it would cause such a stir. I’m just racing the way a European champion might sometimes race in white shorts. Then there’s not much to make a fuss about. I’m just racing in red shorts for a change. I thought about it last year. And I wanted to try it at least once. And today might have been my last chance.”