'Signature move' - Thibau Nys nails last-lap positioning battle to strike gold in Dendermonde
Thibau Nys claimed his fifth cyclocross victory of the season, and first of the Kerstperiode, on an unusually fast course in Dendermonde. The Belgian champion reflected on another impressive performance, beating Tibor Del Grosso and Laurens Sweeck in a thrilling final lap battle.
“Super happy, especially because of how I won it today. It’s been a long time since I could finish it off like this,” said Nys in his post-race interview when asked about his initial feelings about claiming the victory in Dendermonde.
With such a fast course that a criterium-like cyclocross, featuring twelve laps compared to typically one of the most arduous mud fest races, it was a very different affair from twelve months previously, where Wout van Aert won solo by 1:20.
In the end, Nys’s tactical nous came to the fore, whilst his explosive skills thrived in what was a constant battle for the front of the race in a race that was destined to come down to a last-lap shootout.
“It was always my kind of skill to finish off a race like this in the last lap, doing the right things,” said Nys.
“But I started to lose a bit of this quality in the last couple of years, and it feels really nice to finish it off in this way. It’s a bit like my signature move from the past,” explained the Belgian champion.
Nys had to come past the World Cup leader Laurens Sweeck on the final lap, and also withstand pressure from the Dutch champion Tibor Del Grosso, who remained in prime position to capitalise if the Belgian made a mistake in the run-in to the finish straight.
"I tried a couple of times to put some pressure, but it was so difficult to make a difference. But I felt super strong, and I felt in control. I think it was one of the strongest days of the season for me.”
With a short home straight and tailwind finish, getting to the final road section in front was crucial for Nys, and the Belgian was successful in his quest to do so with a final lap time of 4:54 and average speed 30.54km/h.
“I had to keep an eye on Laurens [Sweeck] and Tibor [Del Grosso] in the last lap, because I knew they were gonna be close, and then full sprint from the last technical part to the finish line.”
Nys beat Del Grosso by 0:02, whilst World Cup leader Sweeck ended 3rd at 0:05. Van Aert had to settle for 6th at 0:08, behind Emiel Verstrynge in 4th and Niels Vandeputte in 5th.
Van Aert took a moment before addressing the media. Did the missed chance bother him? His answer was clear:
“With two laps to go things started to unravel. I didn’t want to ride on the front on the road section towards the finish, so I let a few riders slot in. Before I knew it, I was sixth instead of second. After that it never settled again, gaps opened up and the race was basically over,” Van Aert said to Wielerflits.
“Of course I wanted to do better than sixth place today, that’s true. But that’s the competitor in me. Winning is always difficult, and I didn’t see this as a golden opportunity. If Mathieu isn’t racing, the chances for everyone else are bigger, that’s true. But beating the rest is still hard.”
Van Aert and Nys are back in action tomorrow in Loenhout, where Van der Poel will also line up.
