"It has been 4 long weeks, but we are back": Thibau Nys resumes training following a knee surgery

Lidl-Trek's young star is back in the saddle! Thibau Nys has been sidelined for nearly a month following a knee surgery to treat the so-called "cyclist's knee" (an overuse injury) issue that surfaced early in the Belgian's pre-season preparation. Since then, it's been clear that spring campaign was off the table and a Giro d'Italia participation would be postponed for another year too. But the gloomy days seem to be finally over as Nys has been allowed to return to cycling again.

Nys has announced via Instagram that he's resumed season preparation: "It has been 4 long weeks, but we are back. The rehabilitation and rebuilding can begin."

The 23-year-old has a lot of catching up to do, even though the surgery itself wasn't as complicated: "It was a minor procedure, but it came at the worst possible time of the year, with pretty major consequences," Nys explained.

Just as important was the rest period following the doctor's intervention. That is why Nys could only watch as compatriot Wout Van Aert broke his curse at cobbled Monuments at Paris-Roubaix from his sofa on the TV.

Even more important for Nys was to see Tadej Pogacar being defeated. Because, as he had indicated prior to WielerFlits, the Belgian intends to dethrone the Slovenian at the Montreal World Championships this autumn. "I won’t be discouraged if Tadej is on the start. So it’s very possible I’ll set my sights on racing the Worlds in Canada," he told the Dutch outlet.

Even though he's aware of a certain skill gap he's yet to overcome, his sights are set no lower than for the likes of Pogacar and Van der Poel, regardless of the obstacle that has been his injury: "I think I can compete with them. But I’m also very realistic and I’m not going to claim I’ll beat them."

As to when can we expect Nys back in action, the Belgian was rather firm in his comments on the Vive le Vélo, Leve de Ronde talk show: "Then the question is when I’ll be able to handle full training load again. I don’t know, I’m not going to make any promises. I hope to start racing again sometime in June or July."