Thibau Nys gets the better off himself to take his third win in Poland: "My apologies to all the riders to whom I told that I didn't feel well today"

Thibau Nys scored already his ninth victory of 2024 with his third uphill stage win at this year's Tour de Pologne. It seems that on such finishes, the 21-year-old is virtually unstoppable. Although the Lidl-Trek rider himself didn't feel at his best and he even apologized to all the riders in the peloton to whom he told that his legs were bad on Saturday.

"My apologies to all the riders to whom I told that I didn't feel well today, but it really was like that," he said after his third stage win in the Tour de Pologne. "I really wasn't at my best today and I was lucky to be in the front in the final. I was really struggling on the climbs and I think I was in the third group on the last steep climb. But we still came back because other teams were riding, so I was very lucky to be in the sprint in the last kilometer," Nys said.

Despite suffering over each climb (and there were more than enough on the route today), the young Belgian continued to believe in a good result. "I always kept riding hard and I never gave up. But only in the last three hundred meters I really had the thought that I could win today. I had one arrow and I shot it at the right time, but mentally it was a really tough day."

Nys sees a big difference between his third stage win in Poland and the first two. "I wasn't in control today, I had no idea where I was riding at a given moment. My previous stage wins were different, then I felt in control the entire stage," he claims.

The sixth stage was seen by many as a queen stage. Perhaps even a bit too difficult for Nys who himself wasn't sure how the stage would play out for him. "I am really not a climber. It is always difficult for me on a climb, but I know that if I survive the climbs, I still have a good final sprint. That is perhaps the biggest difference between me and many other riders."

Despite the recent successes, the still young rider remains down to earth. "I know that it won’t always be like this. There will also be difficult moments in the future. But for now I have to enjoy this." Regarding the final stage, the Belgian indicates that it is more something for the sprinters. "I will work for the team tomorrow, but it is a shame that Mads has dropped out."