"You can't imagine how much pressure falls off my shoulders" - Thibau Nys says goodbye to under-23 ranks with glorious world title in Hoogerheide

Thibau Nys had prepared for the Cyclocross World Championships with great deal of concern, and all the work payed off as the Belgian conquered the world title following an aggressive display in Hoogerheide.

"The start was perfect. I immediately made the right tire choice. I saw that the Dutchmen David Haverdings and Tibor Del Grosso started with 'small birds'. I resolutely went for the heaviest profile," Nys said in a post-race interview. "I knew I had to take control of the race. I had to turn first into the woods for the technical sector, because I had more grip with my tyres. Immediately I took 4 to 5 seconds."

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Nys and Del Grosso looked the fastest at the start of the race, but the Belgian soon found himself in front as he clearly had more grip in the technical sections. He went solo in the first lap already, taking advantage of great power in the explosive circuit.

"From the first minute of the race I started to push. I always kept in mind that I had to have something in reserve. I kept the pressure high. From then on it was very hard to ride alone the whole race. In the technical sections I felt really good, but in the fast sections I felt it was less bouncy. But I had the strength to get away with it. I drove the perfect race," he details.

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There was a furious chase from Del Grosso and compatriots Meeussen and Wyseure, however the fight for second place wasn't enough to see Nys being caught. Following the footsteps of his father Sven, Thibau has put on the rainbow stripes.

"I can't quite grasp it myself yet. It's unbelievable. I wanted this so badly and I worked so hard for it. This was my biggest goal of the season," he continued. "It was also in a scenario that I had only experienced in my dreams. You can't imagine how much pressure falls off my shoulders. I wanted this so badly. In my opinion more than three years ago in Dübendorf," he added, having become Junior World Champion then.

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Despite this he won't be using the jersey this coming season as he makes the step towards being a full-time Elite rider, aswell as taking on the World Tour calendar on the road with Trek - Segafredo.

"It was also only my sixth game with the reserves (under-23, ed.) this year. There was not really any uncertainty, but it was difficult for me to estimate how the value ratios really were. Normally I switch to the elite now. This was my last race with the U23," he concluded.

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Men Under 23 Podium 🏆 🥇 Thibau Nys (BEL) 🥈 Tibor Del Grosso (NED) 🥉 Witse Meeussen (BEL) #Hoogerheide2023

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