"I'm especially surprised by the way he's winning" - Sven Nys impressed by Thibau's rise to stardom

Thibau Nys has been having a stupendous cyclocross season. He's had a few ups and down, however his impressive victories have already left a big mark this winter.

"I'm especially surprised by the way he's winning today. Just dominate a competition like at the Koppenberg, he almost never did that with the under-23," Sven Nys told In de Leiderstrui. "In the past he often won from a final, in a last lap with a sprint or by doing something special technically. It now appears that he can physically and mentally handle winning races under pressure and I did not expect that so quickly. That requires maturity and trust. You have to be able to handle it.'"

His technical ability combined with a step at the physical level has seen the 20-year old rise to a very high level. Whilst he does not have the same legs on all races, his top level has proven to be more than enough to win at World Cup level. "Of course I can also see that he had a very good summer and has gained a lot of confidence. There too, he won a final under pressure, with the entire team riding for him," Sven told, pointing at that as a possible reason for Thibau's confidence. 

"The fact that he has already finished it on the road against very big riders, you take that all into account in the story you are now writing. But cross remains something very special, it is a completely different discipline. The fact that it worked immediately makes you live on a cloud. You will take that with you to your next races."

Nys talks about the mentality of a cyclocross rider and how Thibau is developing in the same way that he has. "In fact, when we win, we quickly get back to normal and that is something I see reflected in myself. As a rider I didn't celebrate for long either. It was fun in the camper for a while, you had fun, but in the evening it was dinner, a massage and then to bed. That is necessary, because in cross-country you start from scratch five to six days after a victory."

"You are only as good as your worst performance and that was for Thibau in Maasmechelen. He almost finished third, but fell on the last lap. Then it was like: see, he can also have a bad day. You must always remain aware of that. Thibau is very ambitious and does not want to dwell on victory for too long," he concluded.