While there are still some more big competitions on the menu in 2025 (heck, we just finished World and European Championships), Thibau Nys already wrapped up his road campaign more than a month ago with view to cyclo-cross winter. The young Belgian, son of the legendary Sven Nys, will be rocking the European Champion jersey in the early races of the season. And, ideally, winning.
As he told VRT's Sportweekend program, his body was crying out for a break: "It was really necessary," Nys said. Thibau Nys' start to the season was promising. With a victory at the Gran Premio Miguel Indurain on first competitive day, the young rider showed his potential in the big classics.
In addition, he was at his best in other competitions such as the Amstel Gold Race, the Flèche Wallonne and the Liège-Bastogne-Liège. However, after the latter race, his performance began to decline. Accumulated fatigue and a lack of adequate recovery meant that Nys had to adjust his schedule.
"I couldn't recover from my training. Rather than training continuously, I had to cancel and adjust many sessions," he commented, acknowledging that both physical and mental fatigue was the main obstacle to his season.
This exhaustion led him to make the wise decision to skip the Canadian classics, which allowed him to avoid possible further burnout. "If I hadn't put on the brakes, I would have found myself in trouble this cyclocross season or even next year," the cyclist reflected.
Preparation for cyclocross
With a shorter road season than expected, Nys already has his eyes set on cyclo-cross, a discipline in which he still has a lot to prove. His first target will be the Koppenbergcross, to be held on November 1, and from there, he will start an ambitious calendar of competitions.
Nys is aware of the comparisons to other cycling greats such as Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel, who have already won multiple cyclocross titles. However, the young Belgian is clear that his path is still under construction. "For me, cyclocross is something very important and I have a lot to prove before I think about changing course," he explained.
And although his rivals already have impressive track records, Nys is adamant that he wants to leave his mark on the sport: "I want to build something that, in 10 or 15 years' time, people will remember as a great legacy," he said with conviction.
Thibau Nys has shone in 2025 in road and cyclocross
Thibau Nys' cyclocross season is looking more than ambitious. Here is his detailed competition calendar for the coming months:
- November 1st: X2O Badkamers Trofee - Koppenbergcross
- November 2: X2O Badkamers Trofee - Rapencross
- November 8: UEC Cyclocross European Championships
- November 15: Telenet Superprestige Merksplas
- November 16: X2O Badkamers Trofee - Flandriencross
- November 23: UCI Cyclocross World Cup - Tabor
- November 30: UCI Cyclocross World Cup - Flamanville
- December 14: UCI Cyclocross World Cup - Namur
- December 20: UCI Cyclocross World Cup - Antwerpen
- 22 December: X2O Badkamers Trofee - Hofstade Plage
- December 23: Telenet Superprestige Heusden-Zolder
- December 26th: UCI Cyclocross World Cup - Gavere
- December 28: UCI Cyclocross World Cup - Dendermonde
- December 29: X2O Badkamers Trofee - Azencross
- December 30: Telenet Superprestige Diegem
- January 1: X2O Badkamers Trofee - GP Sven Nys
- January 4: UCI Cyclocross World Cup - Zonhoven
- January 10: Belgian National Cyclo-cross Championship
- January 18: UCI Cyclocross World Cup - Benidorm
- January 24: UCI Cyclocross World Cup - Maasmechelen
- January 25: UCI Cyclocross World Cup - Hoogerheide
- February 1: UCI Cyclocross World Championship - Hulst
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- 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
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