“In two weeks Mathieu will be there and we’ll get a completely different story” – Thibau Nys continues winning roll before imminent return of CX world champion Van der Poel

Thibau Nys extended his sparkling run of form with victory at the Flamanville World Cup, then immediately pointed to the looming return of Mathieu van der Poel as the moment the shape of the season will change.

The Belgian champion claimed his second World Cup win in as many rounds and his third consecutive weekend triumph, yet downplayed any suggestion that the current hierarchy will hold once the reigning world champion re-enters the field.

“But in two weeks Mathieu will be there and we’ll get a completely different story,” Nys said, fully aware of the shift that awaits when the Alpecin star resumes competition in December.

Nys reflected on a performance that combined personal strength with sharp teamwork from the Baloise Glowi Lions. He and Lars van der Haar spent the entire race embedded in the lead group that also featured Joris Nieuwenhuis, Nils Vandeputte and a resurgent Cameron Mason. “It’s going really well,” Nys said. “I’m super happy that I was able to ride at the front the whole race with Lars van der Haar. We understand each other really well, so this is really a team victory today.”

Baloise’s numerical advantage told in the finale. Nys capitalised when Nieuwenhuis made a brief mistake, opening the decisive gap, though he admitted the run-in was far from flawless. “I had issues twice in the same corner, but apart from that I felt very good.”

He added that he had not enjoyed the same sense of invincibility he’d felt in Tabor, yet still executed the plan he had mapped out beforehand. “I didn’t have the super day of Tabor, but had a very good feeling. The aim was to ride two fast final laps. At the moment I wanted to accelerate, I think Joris had something happen. Then Lars was in second position and I got a few seconds’ bonus.”

Flamanville marked Nys’ fourth win of the campaign, but he stressed that early-season momentum will only mean so much once Van der Poel returns — likely at the Namur World Cup. “I want to enjoy every race, because in two weeks Mathieu will be there and we’ll get a completely different story,” he said.

Nys will skip next week’s Italian World Cup round to attend a training camp, choosing long-term preparation over chasing further short-term success.