"It wasn't what I’d worked so hard for" – Thibau Nys reflects on 'disappointing' Tour de France debut

After a gruelling baptism of fire in his first Grand Tour, Thibau Nys has opened up about the challenges he faced during the 2025 Tour de France, calling the experience “a real learning curve – and a disappointment.” Now back in action at the Renewi Tour, the 22-year-old Belgian is looking to reset and rebuild with the benefit of hard-earned experience.

Nys, widely regarded as one of the most promising young talents in the peloton, stepped up to the WorldTour stage with Lidl-Trek in 2023, but it wasn't until this summer that he made his Tour debut amid high expectations. Sadly however, the race proved far from what he’d hoped.

“It wasn’t what I’d worked so hard for, or what I came to France hoping for,” he reflected candidly ahead of the Renewi Tour in conversation with Sporza. “It was a whole new learning experience, but also a disappointment.”

While the son of cyclocross legend Sven Nys has long been earmarked for success, the rigours of a three-week stage race exposed the steep learning curve young riders often face in their transition to Grand Tour racing.

After completing the Tour, Nys took some time off before returning to training. Speaking in Terneuzen ahead of the Renewi Tour, he admitted the restart was anything but smooth. “I took the necessary rest after the Tour and then started building up again. I definitely hit a few walls during the first training sessions,” he said. “It was much hotter than expected in Mallorca – I wasn’t really prepared for 37 degrees – but I’m feeling good now and really looking forward to racing again.”

Now back in the bunch, Nys is eager to show signs of growth in the second half of the season. Though he's not yet sure whether he’s gained the famed “Grand Tour legs” many riders report after completing their first three-week race, he's hopeful the benefits will reveal themselves in competition. “I can’t say I feel that difference just yet – maybe it’ll come, maybe I’ll notice it on Wednesday,” he added.

Lining up at the Renewi Tour with a strong Lidl-Trek squad, Nys isn’t targeting personal glory just yet, but won’t rule out taking his chance if it arises. “I’ve found some decent legs and hopefully I can show them. We’ve got a really strong team here – I want to support the guys, and maybe I’ll get an opportunity for myself.”

Whether or not that opportunity presents itself this week, Nys' reflections mark an important step in his development – an acknowledgment that talent alone isn’t enough in Grand Tour racing, and that the road to the top is rarely straightforward. But with his trademark resilience and growing maturity, the Belgian prodigy is already laying the groundwork for what comes next.