"You can see the muscles in my leg disappearing like snow in the sun": Thibau Nys details tough mental recovery from knee surgery

Lidl-Trek's rising star Thibau Nys has opened up about the grueling mental and physical toll of his recent knee surgery. Speaking on the Belgian talk show Vive le Vélo, Leve de Ronde, the young talent provided an update on his recovery, confirming he will miss his entire spring campaign and also the Giro d'Italia as he cautiously eyes a summer return.

Nys had massive ambitions for his 2026 road campaign following a breakout 2025 spring season and a strong cyclo-cross winter that culminated in a bronze medal at the World Championships in Hulst. After a short period of rest to recover from his winter efforts, he was ready to build towards the road season.

However, a familiar "cyclist's knee" (an overuse injury characterized by pain around the kneecap caused by repetitive stress during cycling) issue flared up as soon as he resumed training.

The team and Nys decided to intervene surgically to deal with the pain once and for all. While the right long-term choice, it effectively derailed his entire spring. “It was a minor procedure, but it came at the worst possible time of the year, with pretty major consequences,” Nys explained, noting he hasn't even been able to ride his bike in the days leading up to the Tour of Flanders.

The operation meant wiping his immediate race calendar completely clean. With the Classics and the Giro d'Italia entirely off the table, Nys admitted that the sudden and forced halt to his season has been deeply frustrating to process as a professional athlete.

“I realize there are worse things in the world, but mentally it is tough,” Nys confessed, detailing the physical toll the inactivity is taking on his body. “I’m a bit lost at home. Every day you can see the muscles in my leg disappearing like snow in the sun. It’s mentally tough. It’s a bit depressing and confronting.”

Despite the understandable disappointment of watching the spring Classics from the sidelines, Nys is finally starting to see a path forward. “There is light at the end of the tunnel... I think it’s too early to make statements about that. In the very best-case scenario, I might quietly be allowed to start riding again next week,” he said. “Then the question is when I’ll be able to handle full training load again. I don’t know, I’m not going to make any promises. I hope to start racing again sometime in June or July.”