Sixth in Exact Cross Mol "was a good sign" for Thibau Nys who looks to leave back problems behind

Thibau Nys, like Mathieu van der Poel, has suffered with back issues which have led to inconsistency. The young Belgian is working towards preventing that from hindering him, and in Mol yesterday he's shown good signs.

“This was a good sign. It certainly wasn't great today, but that was to be expected. There was a lot of power on it, but I had very little rhythm changes in the legs," Nys told Wielerflits after the race in Mol. "It was a one-speed ride. It was a very good cross to gain some rhythm and to go deep again, that was necessary for the upcoming crosses."

Nys was present in the leading group on the opening laps, and rode to sixth place at the finish line. In his last three races he failed to feature in the Top10, mirroring some performances of the past season, much to the back issues that have seen him struggle to keep power throughout some races.

However, heading into the Christmas block, he's showing good form. Nys is currently leading the under-23 World Cup and is eyeing the rainbow jersey in Hoogerheide, before focusing on his debut World Tour season with Trek - Segafredo.

“Yes, yes. It's something I find very hard to feel in training. Even when I was struggling with my back, I had very little trouble during training. I have now worked very hard on it and so far it has paid off. This was a good sign," he continued.

“Whether the hunger for crosses has now been satisfied? No definitely not. The focus is very high. I am very excited about the Christmas period. It has already started well today," Nys concluded.