"The values were reassuring" - Lidl-Trek surprises with Thibau Nys Vuelta nomination despite almost no racing in 2026
Cycling
Thibau Nys is not having an outstanding road season 2026. That is mainly caused by health setbacks which have not allowed the Belgian to log more than seven race days until mid-August. But the counter will move drastically over the course of next month with Nys set for a Vuelta a Espana debut.
Year marked by health issues
Nys's season has so far been marked by a fair amount of bad luck. His spring season went up in smoke due to a persistent knee injury. Since his return at the Tour de Suisse, the 23-year-old had been working towards Vuelta, but a toxoplasmosis infection forced him to skip all his subsequent preparatory races.
Most recent development of events however allowed Nys to fully resume training and his Lidl-Trek coaches are confident that the Belgian is ready to leave impact at the Spanish Grand Tour.
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"The medication worked well and early last week Thibau was able to train properly again," coach Paul Van Den Bosch told Het Nieuwsblad. "The values from last week painted a different picture than in the weeks before, and he also appeared to be recovering well. Based on that, the team decided on Friday to give the green light for the Vuelta."
"It is anyone’s guess what the impact of the infection will be on his Vuelta, but we are hopeful that he can reach a decent level," says Van Den Bosch optimistically. "The values Thibau was putting out in training last week were reassuring and good enough to start a Grand Tour."
Domestique Nys?
So, while the German team directors are confident in Nys to deliver the expected performances, the question remains what exactly will we get to see from the cyclocross star?
As far as team tasks are concerned, Lidl-Trek seems to make its bet on successful Tour de France leader duo; Mads Pedersen for sprints/points classification, and Mattias Skjelmose for GC.
Nys would normally find himself most effective in stage hunting, but there might not be much room for that with Tadej Pogacar at the start. And Van Den Bosch himself is hesitant to pin any specific expectations on Nys who might be already building towards the cyclocross season...
Thibau Nys celebrates 2025 GP Miguel Indurain victory
"Without competition, it is difficult to really know where you stand. The positive thing is that Thibau is heading to the Vuelta with extra freshness. Before he was affected by that infection, Thibau was building up well, with values close to his best level. In that case, a forced rest period does not necessarily have to turn out negatively."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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