“When you get these signals of an emerging disease, you know it’s going to be tough” - Thibau Nys' World Championship hopes in doubt after Hoogerheide abandon?

Thibau Nys has already been crowned European champion and Belgian champion this winter. The hopes of adding a World Championship title to the palmares next weekend have been handed a blow though, after the Baloise Glowi Lions star abandoned the final World Cup race of the season in Hoogerheide.

Rather than any injury or crash, it's illness that is most plaguing Nys currently, as he explained pre-race on Sunday afternoon at World Cup Hoogerheide. "My body is a bit at its limit," Nys told VTM Nieuws, going some way to explain his absence the day prior in Maasmechelen. "If I were to ride twice, I might completely ruin my World Championship. I hope that the batteries are recharged. Although it will have to be different soon, because during the reconnaissance it was not going well at all.”

As mentioned already, it ultimately didn't go well for Nys on Sunday, as he abandoned early. Despite the obvious concerns this raises ahead of next weekend's World Championships, Thibau's father Sven Nys is hopeful his son will at least be able to compete in Lievin. “When you get these signals of an emerging disease, you know it’s going to be tough,” Nys Sr told Play Sports post-race. “You feel it on the bike, especially on this course. You’re going to make mistakes anyway. I heard from him that there was nothing at all to it. But I heard that there are still riders who are sick. Sweeck and Vandeputte, for example. That’s not nice at the moment, just before the World Championships. But you have to deal with it. This is also part of top-level sport.”