Lidl-Trek DS puts a lot of faith in Thibau Nys for Ardennes: "We do expect something from him there"
Cycling
European cyclocross champion Thibau Nys is finally ready for his 2025 road debut. That will take place next week at Spanish stage race Itzulia Basque Country where his team hopes he can already fight for some stage wins. But especially that his form is good enough with view to the Ardennes Classics.
"We don't expect too much, but we hope for the best. The last two seasons, Thibau's first race was always very good. He immediately proved that he can compete with the best, even after a few months without a real road race. We don't want to put pressure on him, but I wouldn't be surprised if he competes with the best right from his first races," sports director Maxime Monfort tells WielerFlits.
The week of racing in Basque Country is meant to serve as a warm up for Ardennes where Lidl-Trek is already ambitious with Nys: "In the classics in two weeks it will be a bit different, we do expect something from him there."
At Izulia he may end up riding in support of teammate Mattias Skjelmose, but further north their roles may reverse. "He will not be our only leader there, but one of the leaders of the team. With Skjelmose, Andrea Bagioli and Giulio Ciccone we have a strong classics team. Izulia will be a good indicator but with Nys you never know... Last year he also performed immediately at Tour de Romandie," laughs Monfort.
The team seems to realize that they have gold in their hands with the young Nys. "We learned last year that he has something special in him. He is a real winner, someone who speaks with confidence, but without arrogance. Every rider has his pain or doubts, but if he starts a final with good legs, he is another five percent stronger."
"You have to look at his results from last season again," Monfort says, referring to Nys' 8 wins in stages with uphill finish last season. "Either he wins or he doesn’t get a result. He hasn’t been second once. Isn’t that incredible? Thanks to the weapon he was really able to develop last year, that uphill sprint."
And even after the classics, Lidl-Trek and Monfort have wild plans for their protégé. "The Giro d'Italia has not been an option for a while, the Tour is the main option. Of course there is a longlist and we have a strong team, but if he is at the level we expect from him in June, then there is little doubt that he will go to France with the team."
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