Thibau Nys : "I had control of the race, and it all looked beautiful, but I was knocked backwards by bad luck"

Thibau Nys managed to secure silver in the European cyclo-cross championship for U23 men. The Belgian rider was leading the race, but a flat tyre changed everything for him, and he was forced to settle for the second-best position.

"I had control of the race, and it all looked beautiful, but I was knocked backwards by bad luck. I can't deny that mentally it was very hard to find my rhythm again. What is certain is that the feeling in the legs was what it needed to be. I ended up losing thirty seconds but kept fighting,” Nys told WielerFlits.

But Nys is proud of himself for not giving up despite a huge setback and making it to the finish line. "I come into the last lap at fifteen seconds, and I end up finishing six seconds off the winner. That stings, but I did everything I could. Bad luck is out of your control.I really did what I could, I'm proud of myself for continuing to fight like that. I wouldn't have done that a few years ago. That's a big step forward,” said Nys.

Overall it was a great experience for Nys, and he does not blame anyone for the result."I can't blame myself for anything. I was there and was physically in great shape, but bad luck is something you just can't control. I ended up riding a fantastic race with the bad luck I went through,” concluded Nys.