"The values were reassuring" - Lidl-Trek surprises with Thibau Nys Vuelta nomination despite almost no racing in 2026
CyclingTuesday, 18 August 2026 at 01:00
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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- He's not a classics rider though. That's like asking why a pure sprinter hasn't won any mountaintop finishes or GC races. Idiotic comment.wrsty18-08-2026
- The end is near for Ineos.
santiagobenites18-08-2026 - Hopefully he didn't sign the contract too hastily. Winning a tour obviously increases your value and showcases you to all the top teams.Pogboom17-08-2026
- Agree with Hills33, this is a sad moment of endings.RidesHills17-08-2026
- @mistermaumau: yes, it becomes an ever-expanding spider web of accountability, complicity, guilt by association, etc. In the cycling world it’s not SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION from some major figure who doped. it’s maybe one or two, at best.OCexile17-08-2026
- that’s exactly where i’m at with lance armstrong. apologies because i’ve said this exact same thing before, but i couldn’t care less about armstrong doping or lying about it (why dope then NOT lie). i dislike armstrong precisely for the reason you mention. he’sa fundamentally bad person in my opinion. i think it might be more useful for everyone to rail against THAT when they say armstrong should be cancelled forever because he was a doper, because i don’t really think that’s the fundamental problem people have with him. i haven’t chosen to hold johan bruyneel or george hincapie responsible for the behavior of armstrong, but i respect the position of those who do. “if they choose to associate with someone like that then you get judged by the company you keep.” i understand.OCexile17-08-2026
- That's sad.Hills3317-08-2026
- ThHills3317-08-2026
- Given how he front-loaded his schedule, Vingegaard has raced 51 days this season. For those who think he's quitting early, it's worth looking at the numbers. For example, that's more race days than Pogačar had in 2023 and 2025, or Evenepoel raced in 2021 or 2025. Notably, some of those seasons also included injuries. Seems like his choice is similar to theirs, no?RidesHills17-08-2026
- Vingegaard has never been much of a classics racer, and he isn't going to start at this age and with these constraints to his career (the importance of family to him, Pogačar at the Tour, things like that). When he has raced Liége-Bastogne-Liége or any other classic, he's been fine, but not great. He last raced a monument in 2022. I've said before that his 4 grand tour wins put him on par with just 15 other riders in cycling history. Were he to win another Vuelta or Giro, he'd tie for 9th place - were he to win two, he'd be tied for 8th. That's a hell of a career, and there's nothing wrong with specializing in grand tours and GC races. Contador did the same, Froome as well. Vingegaard right now has the same grand tour record that Nibali did (and the same number of wins, 54!), but Nibali won 3 monuments, while Vingegaard has been more successful in the GC races. Point being, Vingegaard won't be missed at the world championships because he's never been the kind of rider to win them. And that's perfectly fine.RidesHills17-08-2026
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