"I wanted to stay and compete in the World Championship, but I didn't have enough money anymore. After the cross in Gavere, my backers decided to turn off the tap. Whether that has to do with the collision with Van der Poel? I honestly don't know," he tells Sporza glumly.
And so, instead of competing at the very highest level of his sport, Nystrom is instead back in the US and in work. “I work as a translator and interpreter in the US, 7 days a week, up to 15 hours a day,” says the Costa Rican. "Today I started work at 5 a.m. My working day is over at 8:30 p.m. and I will try to train for another hour and a half."
"Thanks to the time difference, I'll be able to see some of it," he continues, before making his prediction for the race. "Without a fall, mechanical failure or a rider crashing into him, van der Poel will become world champion.
But if something does happen to Van der Poel, which I really hope not, then I will grant it to Michael Vanthourenhout."
"He always says hello to me when I meet him at the cross. A very friendly guy and he seems to be in shape just in time after a difficult season," Nystrom concludes. "After the incident with van der Poel,
Eli Iserbyt's wife was the first to reassure me at the finish. She said that Mathieu would have forgotten that near collision a day later. I am still very grateful to Eli and his wife for that."