"He's the only rider who can put Van der Poel under pressure": Niels Albert backs Thibau Nys against cyclocross giant

Thibau Nys can be "hot and cold" rider at times, but at the opening World Cup round in Tabor, he silenced any haters with a dominant victory. The Belgian has taken off in the opening lap and would never get caught again. In a sense, the Belgian champion's solo reminded us of Mathieu van der Poel's overwhelming power from past seasons. Unlike Nys, the Dutchman isn't as fully committed to cyclocross anymore, but should still join the mud fray around Christmas.

The seven-time world champion's arrival is each winter looked forward to as a breaking point of the season. With the Alpecin-Deceuninck star's appearance, the stakes are guaranteed to become even higher, and the purer cyclocross specialists sometimes look like amateurs next to the man who can already be considered a legend of the sport.

In 2025/26, it's not yet known which race will Van der Poel choose for his debut, but it's been indicated by his boss Christoph Roodhooft that the time should come around the Christmas. The official communication is expected to arrive this Friday, on November 28th. Regarding another cyclocross star Wout Van Aert, not much is known about his winter plans at the moment.

It would be more than a pleasant surprise if anyone came close to beating the Dutchman, but former cyclocross world champion Niels Albert believes one man has who it takes to challenge Van der Poel to a fair duel - Thibau Nys.

"Cyclocross rider Thibau Nys has never been so strong and dominant in the elite ranks. He's fulfilling my expectations, because this is what I really wanted to see from him this season," Albert told Het Laatste Nieuws after Nys's victory in Tabor.

In fact, Albert expects Nys to make things difficult for Van der Poel and Van Aert when they return to cyclocross. "At this high level, Nys might well be able to offer Van der Poel and/or Van Aert some stiffer resistance when they make their (re)entry into cyclocross. Thibau is currently one of the only cyclocross riders whose flashes of class could hurt the 'Big Two' and put them under pressure."

Albert has an idea of ​​which races the 'Big Two' will return to. "Antwerp and/or Koksijde, the double World Cup assignment on the weekend of December 20th and 21st with two courses they like, seems more likely to me. Mathieu will be eager to become the sole record holder for world titles," Albert predicts Van der Poel's goal.

What we know for certain is that the 30-year-old will arrive perfectly prepared. During the off-season, we have seen him run a lot on the sunny coast of Spain, among others alongside the new triathlon world champion Greg Van Avermaet.