"In the last two hours, constantly changing layers started to take a toll on my legs. Every time I tried to accelerate, I felt them seizing up from the cold," continued the 22-year-old prodigy. "That’s when I knew I wouldn’t be able to unleash my sprint on the Mur de Huy. And when Tadej launched, my legs completely locked up. It was just a matter of hanging on."
In an extra blow for Nys, the second part of the planned two-pronged Lidl-Trek attack,
Mattias Skjelmose crashed out with around 30km to go. "It was a shame I was on my own, but I still managed to hold my position up front. Everyone was suffering — except Tadej, who could still accelerate," Nys concludes his assessment of the race. "On the Mur, it was just a fight against myself. The cold was brutal, but I’m already looking forward to coming back here. Hopefully next time I can really give it everything."