"I must say that he has come a long way in that regard" - Mental strength the biggest improvement for Thibau Nys

Thibau Nys has been one of the most impressive riders so far in this cyclocross campaign. The 21-year-old Belgian has already added three elite victories to his palmares.

“We can look back on two fantastic months with Thibau,” says Baloise - Trek Lions' Eric Braes in conversation with Wielerflits. “But you have to remain level-headed about that. If you win the Koppenberg, you have to immediately calculate: this will not last. What he achieved was beyond my own expectations and everyone's expectations. He himself had not expected this either. But you have to be realistic that something like this requires a lot of effort at such a young age. We did our best to mentally prepare him as best as possible for the fact that things would not go as well anyhow. That is very important for his peace of mind.”

Victory on the Koppenberg, alongside a UCI World Cup win in Waterloo and a winning start to the winter for him in Beringen, show plenty of positive signs. That's not to say it's been all positive however, with some more disappointing results coming in recent weeks. Nevertheless, Braes has been impressed by Nys's growing maturity when faced with disappointment.

"Seventh in a World Cup at 21, that's a good result. But young riders sometimes want to forget that," he explains, referencing Nys's finish in Troyes. "They are young, motivated and want to be at the top as quickly as possible. They can hardly afford to have a bad day, but it is very important to be able to put something like that into perspective.”

"I must say that he has come a long way in that regard. Two years ago he often stopped or hung his head when things weren't going well," Braes continues. "Now you hardly see him do that. That is one of his biggest progressions.”

Nys also came into criticism from UCI President David Lappartient recently, due to his absence from a World Cup race, something Braes believes was taken out of proportion. "We never opted against Dendermonde, did we? We just looked at what was best for Thibau,” he explains. "This way he could rest an extra day towards the following weekend. Believe me, we never look at the races, organizers or courses. We draw up a program in advance based on the rider, but if he feels that he is not at the top, you as a team have to intervene and use your common sense.”