"I am not the new Wout van Aert or Mathieu van der Poel" - Breakthrough talent Thibau Nys not looking to have the pressure on his shoulders

Thibau Nys has been having an astounding 2024 season. He only began racing at the Tour de Romandie but took a stunning mountaintop win from the breakaway on stage 2. He has since won two stages and the GC at the Tour de Hongrie; but is quick to shrug off comparisons to Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel who also made an incredible transition from cyclocross to the road.

“I am not the new Wout van Aert or Mathieu van der Poel. I haven't asked myself that question yet. I don't dare ask myself either. Those are two very exceptional men. I find it difficult to compare myself to anyone. I don't even know what type of rider I am," Nys said in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws. Sure enough, the 21-year seems to have the skillset of a puncheur or classics specialist; but despite his strong sprinting abilities he is much more keen on performing uphill and even considers battling for stage-races after such a great start to his road campaign.

Nys draws comparisons to a few of the greats who have performed in the peloton over the past decade: “A kind of Michael Matthews? I think I climb better. A bit like the young Philippe Gilbert perhaps. Actually, I think I'm most like Julian Alaphilippe, although I don't think I can climb as well or as long as he can," he argues. That could however be a possibility in the future, taking into consideration his recent performances.

"I wonder where I will be in five years. Because I really have no idea. In Hungary I broke all my records for three days, which means I am still discovering myself." This winter he has taken the step when it came to winning and being present in the main cyclocross events of the year, and after the transition of other riders onto the road, Nys could quite possibly be the next emerging superstar to come out from the discipline.