Thibau Nys reacts to 4th place at the Koppenberg: "I came for more"

Thibau Nys reflected on his recent performance at the Koppenberg Cross, where he secured a respectable 4th place. Despite falling short of the podium, Nys remains optimistic as he heads into the European Championships, set to take place this weekend in Pontevedra.

After a challenging race, Nys shared his honest assessment of the day. "Of course I came for more, but I am satisfied," he said to HLN. Acknowledging his effort, he added, “I had a good day, but not so good that I could compete for the win.”

Throughout the race, Nys maintained a strong pace, holding on until an acceleration from Lars van der Haar proved too intense to match. “It was good, but not good enough to win. I was doing okay in the race, I could ride one pace. And when Lars started, everyone was riding at the same level, while he rode 15 seconds away in a few minutes. That was above everyone else’s level,” he explained.

Despite his desire for a higher placement, Nys expressed contentment with his performance, concluding, “Of course I came for more, but all in all I am satisfied.”

Reflecting on the race's intensity compared to other competitions, Nys noted, “The level was clearly lower than in Overijse, but I did have a good day.” With only a short recovery window before the European Championships, he shared his focus on recuperation. “I just hope to recover well towards the day after tomorrow. Of course you want to finish as high as possible, but also as economically as possible. The EC will be a completely different race, this one will have hit everyone hard. We'll see, I'm looking forward to it.”

As he prepares to take on Europe’s best in Pontevedra, Nys's determination and cautious optimism suggest he will be ready for the challenge ahead.