“I really had to fight for it” – Thibau Nys pushed all the way by Cameron Mason in thrilling edition of Flandriencross Hamme

Thibau Nys claimed a highly significant victory at Flandriencross Hamme on Sunday afternoon, taking his first win in the Belgian champion’s jersey after an intense, tactical and physically demanding duel with British champion Cameron Mason.

The pair were locked together for almost the entire race before Nys finally made the decisive difference inside the final lap, holding on for a morale-boosting success following his runner-up finish at the European Championships and a difficult day on the sand in Merksplas.

The course in Hamme was heavy, sticky and unpredictable, with repeated bike changes and tight technical execution proving just as important as raw power. Mason animated the race early, settling confidently at the head of affairs and repeatedly matching Nys through the pits, while the rest of the field began to fragment behind them.

The race also featured a standout comeback from Joris Nieuwenhuis, who crashed in the opening corner, restarted last, and still rode himself all the way onto the podium.

Speaking immediately after the finish, Nys made clear that this was a victory earned through patience, rather than pure physical superiority. “This victory feels really good,” he admitted. “I really had to fight for it. The feeling wasn’t that much better than yesterday, but I felt that the rest of the bunch were riding around with more tired legs.”

The Belgian champion highlighted that reading the race correctly mattered just as much as speed. “I rode a technically good race and, thanks to my good start, I could afford to ease off now and then. That way I still had a good finale in my legs.”

While the battle with Mason looked set for a sprint, Nys revealed that he wanted a different outcome. “I struggled a lot with the final corner. That’s why I didn’t want to wait for a sprint.”

His perfectly-timed acceleration in the last lap proved enough, with Mason finishing a superb second after one of his strongest performances on Belgian soil, while Nieuwenhuis completed the podium after a remarkable comeback ride.