‘I wanted to finish in style’ - Thibau Nys surprises father Sven with bold new look before dramatic Koppenberg win

Thibau Nys made a memorable return to cyclocross racing at the Koppenbergcross on Sunday, November 1, unveiling a striking new look that even caught his father Sven by surprise before overcoming two crashes and another slide to claim victory.

The 23-year-old Belgian champion opted for red shorts to complement his national champion's jersey, creating an almost entirely Belgian tricolour outfit reminiscent of former world champion Paul Herygers, who famously raced in red shorts during his career.

For Sven Nys, a nine-time winner of the Koppenbergcross, the resemblance was immediately obvious.

"Those are Paul Herygers' shorts!" he exclaimed on Sporza after seeing his son line up in the unusual kit.

What made the moment even more remarkable was that Sven had no idea his son was planning the change.

"The remarkable thing is that this is the first time I've seen it," he explained. "I heard something about it in the living room a few weeks ago, but I didn't really pay attention. The only person in the team who would have known is Karen, because she's the one who arranges it."

Although the outfit bore a striking resemblance to Herygers' famous look, Nys said it was not intended as a tribute to the 1994 cyclocross world champion.

"Why not?" Nys laughed when asked about his decision. "I didn't really think about it that much. I just thought it looked good."

However, there was a more meaningful reason behind the choice.

With the European Cyclocross Championships coming up next weekend, Nys is aware that his time wearing the Belgian national colours could soon be interrupted.

"If I win the European Championships next week and don't win the Belgian title again, I won't be riding in the tricolour much longer," he explained. "So I wanted to finish in style."

While his outfit attracted attention before the start, Nys also had plenty to deal with during the race on the demanding slopes of the Koppenberg.

Making his first cyclocross appearance of the season, the Belgian champion found himself repeatedly fighting back through the field after a series of costly mistakes.

Michael Vanthourenhout looked increasingly likely to take victory after opening a substantial advantage, but Nys refused to surrender. Despite crashing twice and suffering another slide, he gradually closed the gap before catching his compatriot on the penultimate ascent.

The race was ultimately decided on the final climb of the Koppenberg, where Vanthourenhout launched his acceleration first. Nys responded immediately, powering clear on the steep cobbles to take his third elite victory at the event, following previous successes in 2023 and 2025.

Despite taking the win, Nys was critical of his performance, particularly the mistakes that repeatedly cost him ground.

"Stressful," he said when asked to sum up his first race of the season. "I felt like I had the race under control. But every time I started to feel comfortable, I made a really stupid mistake or crashed. I kept putting myself under unnecessary pressure. That made it a difficult race."

Even after losing ground several times, Nys remained confident he could work his way back to the front.

"I always believed I could get back to the front, but whenever I was making progress, my own stupidity would set me back again."

Ahead of the European Championships, Nys was encouraged by his physical condition but acknowledged that his bike handling still needs work.

"I kept believing because I could feel my legs were still good. This is a course where a lot is still possible. I still felt I had an explosive effort left in my legs."

"Physically, I was good, but technically I really need to be better, especially next week."