“How long will Van der Poel keep crossing?” - Sven Nys believes Thibau Nys’ moment is getting closer

The question that keeps coming back around the Nys camp is not really about form, fitness or even results. It is about timing. “How long will Mathieu keep crossing?” Sven Nys asks.

He does not ask it lightly. He asks it because the rise of his son Thibau is colliding with the continued presence of one of the sport’s greatest ever riders. Thibau is getting better. But the man in front of him is still Mathieu van der Poel.

“Time that of course applies to his son’s personal development, but which is limited in the duel with Van der Poel,” Nys said in conversation with HLN. “How long will Mathieu keep crossing? Maybe at some point he will step away satisfied.”

That single question frames everything. Thibau’s growth is steady. But the window for dominating cyclocross may only truly open when Van der Poel finally closes his.

Thibau Nys is not a late bloomer. His rise has been years in the making.

He announced himself early by winning the junior world title in 2020, then continued his development through the under-23 ranks before stepping fully into the elite category. Riding in cyclocross for Baloise Glowi Lions, he has gradually turned potential into results, moving from flashes of brilliance to real consistency at the top level.

Last winter he took a major step by winning the Belgian national title, becoming champion in the country where that jersey carries more weight than almost anywhere else in the sport. That win was not a one-off. It came after a season of regular podiums and victories in top level races, confirming that he was no longer just “Sven’s son” but a genuine elite rider in his own right.

This current 2025-2026 winter has underlined that shift. Nys has already won multiple big races, including high profile World Cup rounds and major Christmas period classics, and has been a constant presence at the front of the sport’s biggest events. Even when crashes or technical problems have knocked him out of contention, he has shown he belongs in the lead group on form alone.

That context matters when Sven Nys asks his question. This is not about a rider who might one day be good enough. This is about a rider who already is, and is still getting better.

Thibau Nys has been getting closer to the very top, but not close enough yet. “Nys has tickled him a few times in recent weeks, but keeping the phenomenon under control has not yet worked,” coach Paul Van Den Bosch told HLN. “The next step, then. Even if it is a giant one.”

Van Den Bosch does not hide the scale of the challenge. “But that is against probably the best cyclocross rider of all time. Who can also be counted among the three best road riders in the world.”

Sven Nys also points to the physical mismatch. “Not easy, as a 23-year-old of 64-65 kilograms, to beat a lump of pure power who is eight years older and at least ten kilos heavier,” he said. “That does not have to happen for us yet. Again: we are focused on the long term. Step by step. Cyclocross rider Thibau Nys is neatly on schedule. For heaven’s sake, give him time.”

The message is clear. Beating Van der Poel is not the benchmark today. Being ready when the moment finally comes is.

Sven Nys openly accepts that the real opening may come from the other side. “Of course it would be nice if we could enjoy a few more years of duels between them,” he said. “In which Van der Poel sometimes has to pull out his extra bag of tricks to beat Thibau. Or… maybe lose to him once.”

He even believes there have already been signs. “Although: in Namur I was, unlike in Gavere, convinced that Thibau was not yet on the limit when he made his mistake.”

Van Den Bosch confirmed that Thibau himself felt he had more to give. “Afterwards he referred to a successful training session on camp, where he blasted up a climb ten times in a row at full gas, each time with two minutes’ recovery in between. ‘I should have dared to apply that in the race!’”

These are not excuses. They are signs of a rider still discovering how hard he can really go.

That learning process is happening against a backdrop of results that already stack up. World Cup wins this winter, victories in some of the sport’s most iconic races, and the Belgian champion’s jersey on his back have all come before his 24th birthday. Very few riders in modern cyclocross can match that record at the same age.

Both father and coach keep returning to the same principle. “Overall, the balance is excellent,” Van Den Bosch said. “Thibau always sets his personal bar very high. Maybe he sometimes feels he is still dipping under it. That is allowed. But Sven and I keep the long term in mind. That is what matters.”

Sven Nys sees the same trend. “Flashes have made way for regularity. It is what we expected from him.”

But progress does not change the plan. “That does not have to happen for us yet,” he repeated about beating Van der Poel. “Again: we are focused on the long term. Step by step.”

And that brings everything back to the same question. “How long will Mathieu keep crossing?”

Because when that answer finally comes, it may find Thibau Nys no longer knocking on the door of cyclocross supremacy, but ready to walk straight through it.