"He can fill Tom Pidcock's place in the three-way battle" – Thibau Nys backed by Belgian national coach to match Van Aert & Van der Poel this winter
Cyclocross
Belgian national coach Angelo De Clercq believes Thibau Nys is now capable of joining Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert in a genuine three-way fight at the top of cyclocross this winter.
Speaking to Wielerflits, De Clercq said Nys has reached a level where he can threaten to fill the role previously occupied by Tom Pidcock during the big cross duels.
De Clercq said: “Maybe he can fill the position in the three-way battle that Tom Pidcock has done a few times. If Thibau can follow for half a race, that is already very encouraging for the next few years.”
His assessment reflects growing belief inside the Belgian camp that Nys’s rapid development — marked by a strong run of early-season performances — is pushing him closer to the sport’s two greatest modern riders.
“He’s not going to win against Mathieu, but he will make it difficult for him”
Former world champion Bart Wellens echoed that optimism, while warning against excessive pressure on the 23-year-old. Wellens argued that Nys may not yet be ready to beat Van der Poel outright, but has reached a level where he can genuinely disrupt the world champion’s dominance when the parcours suits him.
Wellens said: “He’s maybe not going to win against Mathieu, but he will make it difficult for him. According to me, Nys should make it a goal to be the first to finally beat Mathieu. That would only be an honour.”
The suggestion that Nys could aim to become the first rider in years to topple Van der Poel in a straight, peak-form confrontation underscores how highly the sport’s leading Belgian voices now rate his potential.
De Clercq’s and Wellens’s comments also mark one of the clearest public endorsements yet that Nys is no longer considered simply a promising young rider — but a genuine threat capable of shifting the balance at the very front of elite cyclocross.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- 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
Loading
3 Comments