"To dominate the entire race, at this age, is of a very high level" - Sven Nys praises his son after victory in Koppenbergcross

Sven Nys won the Koppenbergcross nine times in his career. Now he saw his son, Thibau Nys, triumph on the same route. For Thibau it was his third victory of the season. He previously won the Exact Cross Beringen and the Waterloo World Cup.

"Waterloo was also very special. That was also very emotional for us, his first World Cup. But this… I've won here nine times. It is a very special cross, on top of that mythical climb, which is really highly regarded in cycling. To dominate the entire race, at this age, is of a very high level," said delighted Sven Nys.

How difficult is it to dominate on this course for so long? "It's not easy, but you can choose your own path. The thing is that with that pressure from behind you cannot afford to make a mistake, you cannot weaken. Twenty seconds is nothing on this hill. If we do succeed, I take my hat off to that."

The European Championships are on the program on Sunday. It is the first time that Thibau Nys is riding this championship with the pros. "He will certainly be labeled as a favorite," thinks Sven. "He has already been able to leave his mark on every race, but I don't know whether he will have recovered at this age. Within our team we can rate Lars van der Haar just that little bit higher. But yes, Thibau has surprised me every week, so it may well be that he will also fight for the victory on Sunday."