Eleven years after his father, Sven, won his last Belgian title, Thibau Nys won his first
Thibau Nys’ Belgian national title performance was one of the best of a sterling young career.
Snowdrifts and deep mud mucked up the proceedings, but Nys was steadfast in a race with little breathing room. He made the winning move on the sixth and penultimate lap, diving inside on a tight corner and going solo from there. He had a 10-second lead on second-place Laurens Sweeck heading into the final lap, and held his advantage all the way to the finish, taking his first career Elite Belgian championship by nine seconds.
“I also tested my legs with a little attack, and I realized that I could gap the rest when I wanted to,” Nys said after the race. “After that, it was just a question of finding the right moment to drop them.”

Thibau Nys celebrating his first ever elite Belgian national title.
Before he took control of the race for good, Nys held firmly in the breakaway, but didn’t give away at any point that he might be in winning form. He even shook his head at times, as if he was at his limit. Meanwhile, Sweeck repeatedly turned the screws at the front, shedding riders from the group. As it turned out, Nys was feeling much better than fans or his competition could perceive.
“I really went for it when the rest were on the limit,” Nys said. “That was the best strategy.”
The win came as a relief to Nys, who had been on a streak of close-but-no-cigar results since winning European Championships in early November. He stood on four straight podiums during the densely-packed holiday racing period, coming as close as seven seconds to a win in Diegem behind Sweeck two weeks ago. On Sunday, Nys had his revenge.

Thibau on the winner's stand.
“My season is a real success now,” Nys said. “But if you have the European and Belgian champion’s jerseys, of course, you want to have more wins as well — to make those jerseys shine even more.”
The win extends a family legacy. Nys’ father, Sven, is the Baloise-Glowi team manager and one of the most decorated cyclocross racers ever. He won nine Belgian cyclocross national titles during his career — his first in 2000 at 23 years old, and his last in 2014 at 37. Thibau, at 22, is already ahead of a very steep curve.
Now, Nys can begin to look ahead to World Championships in three weeks. He’d obviously like to add the rainbow stripes to his national and continental prizes this season, but the competition will be stiffer in Liévin. For one thing, he’ll have to compete against his own teammates again. Pim Ronhaar and Lars van der Haar showed that they’re in fine form themselves on Sunday, taking second and fourth, respectively, in a thrilling Dutch Men’s Elite National Championship race.

Pim Ronhaar (left) and Lars van der Haar (right) doing battle at Dutch National Champs.
It’s hard to believe the cyclocross season is already in the home stretch. But with three World Cup races left in addition to World Champs, the best may be yet to come. The Baloise Glowi Lions have the fiercest squad on the circuit. You don’t want to miss what Thibau and company have in store.