Greatness learns from greatness
Having an all-time cyclocross legend as a father isn’t necessary for success in the sport. But it sure doesn’t hurt.
Thibau Nys won the Belgian national championship in Zolder two weekends ago with an impressive late surge that has become a signature of his young career. One of the keys to his victory was how he was able to conserve energy, pass riders and stay at the front of the field on one of the course’s most notorious features: An uphill, off-camber turn just before the finishing straight.
This past weekend, Bill Schieken of CXHAIRS Media (@cxhairs) and one of the co-founders of CXHairs Devo, put together a short YouTube video highlighting how father and son approached the feature in two wins on the same course 12 years apart, and why the cumbersome corner turned out to be the “sprint before the sprint” where both riders would help define their legacies. It’s a fascinating three-minute watch:
Both Sven and Thibau separated themselves not just by being two of the strongest riders in their field, but two of the savviest and most skilled as well. Sven finished his career with nine national titles and two World Championships. Thibau, with a national title and a European Championship to his name, both this season, is doing his damndest to put together a palmarès to rival his dad’s.
Thibau followed up his victory in Zolder with his first World Cup win of the season in Benidorm, thanks to a masterful final lap. He’s clearly feeling himself as the cyclocross season enters the closing stretch. We can’t wait to see what his next move looks like with two World Cup races and World Champs left.
