"It is almost impossible to go faster than Mathieu when he is at full speed" - Thibau Nys about the king of this cyclocross season

Thibau Nys was the only one who could follow Mathieu van der Poel's decisive move in the final of the Hoogerheide World Cup. During the first acceleration Nys was immediately on the wheel, but during the second attack he was unable to do so. Van der Poel did not ride away too far, but eventually broke Nys, who had to settle for fourth.

"I was just one seat too far. I don't think he would have dropped me otherwise," he tells WielerFlits after the race. "I could have answered that attack, although it is almost impossible to go faster than Mathieu when he is at full speed," says Nys. "But in the slipstream I could have gone another lap."

Ultimately, Nys dropped back into a group battling for second and third place, where he placed himself in fourth. "I was really disappointed, but apart from that I gained a lot of confidence. But I think I should have been on the podium with these legs. I can blame myself," he is self-critical.

He himself calls it top form. "This was better than the Koppenberg," he looks back on his victory there. "This certainly comes close to Waterloo and Overijse. It was one of the best races of the season, on a course that suits me very well. I would have preferred it to be a little harder, but this was top form."