“It was a terrible cross for me”: Thibau Nys opens up on frustrating Maasmechelen outing as Van der Poel sets the benchmark

For Thibau Nys, the Maasmechelen World Cup was not about results or records, but about limitations. One week before the world championships in Hulst, the Belgian champion rode consistently at the front yet finished fourth, left searching for rhythm on a day when others, most notably Mathieu van der Poel, were still able to impose themselves despite repeated setbacks.

“It was a terrible cross for me,” Nys admitted afterwards to WielerFlits. “I was never really in it. I went from one mistake to the next. Physically, I was just not quite fresh enough.”

That verdict was delivered without drama. Nys did not point to one defining error or moment, but to a race that never quite aligned. “It certainly wasn’t bad,” he said, “but if I’m completely honest, I think I ended up where I belonged and that a few guys simply rode a better race today.”

Maasmechelen’s bumpy and treacherous layout played a central role in that feeling. On a circuit where Van der Poel punctured twice and others repeatedly lost momentum, Nys struggled to ever feel comfortable enough to ride instinctively.

“I never really had the feeling that I could get my power out or do my thing,” he explained. “There were a few sections where I wasn’t at ease. Three or four times, I was really hanging over my bike. After that, you’re riding with fear in your body for the rest of the cross.”

That caution was deliberate rather than accidental. “It was very treacherous, really dangerous,” Nys said. “And I didn’t feel like going head over heels or having something bad happen.” The consequence, however, was a race ridden without flow or confidence. “I did everything I could to make the podium, but the spark was a bit gone; that’s how it felt.”

What stood out was not that Nys faded, but that he kept contesting positions at the front despite the discomfort. Even then, he felt unable to truly assert himself. “I couldn’t do better,” he said. “I couldn’t ride well on the wheel, couldn’t really do my own thing or force my position.”

The mistakes were not dramatic, but they accumulated. “From one mistake to the next,” Nys said. “Nothing extreme, but it breaks your rhythm every time. That meant I was riding without confidence on the bike.”

Nys was also clear that freshness played a role. While he had recently been on a training camp in Spain, he resisted drawing a straight line between that and his performance. “I didn’t come to the start with an extreme workload,” he said. “But I did do the maximum of what I could do this week, and I felt that.”

The focus now shifts to recovery rather than revision. “I think I need to look for more freshness towards next week for the world championships,” he said. “I think I’m on schedule to ride a good cross there.”

Despite the frustration of Maasmechelen, Nys views the build-up as largely positive. “It has been a perfect preparation,” he said. “I’ve been able to train well and do what I needed to do. I hope that shows itself next week in a good result.”

Much, he acknowledged, will depend on conditions in Hulst. “A lot will depend on the state of the course, but normally that suits me. So I should be fresher at the start.”

Maasmechelen may have underlined the gap to Van der Poel on a day when everything went wrong, but for Nys, it also clarified what is needed next. With the world championships approaching, the aim is simple: restore freshness, restore confidence, and turn a frustrating afternoon into a timely lesson rather than a warning.