A second win in three days for Thibau Nys at Tour de Pologne, showing once again his supremecy on punchy finishes
Winning as the favorite, the one that everyone wants to beat, is a factor that might weigh heavy on a 20-year-old rider. But Thibau Nys proved, once again, that this is not the case for him.
After defeating the competition in the first stage of the Tour de Pologne, Thibau repeated his feat again today, day three of the race, on the Queen stage from Wałbrzych to Duszniki-Zdrój.
“Today was, on paper, the toughest day” said Thibau. “We knew the finish was perfect for me, but there was also the unknown of how hard the peloton would decide to ride the previous climbs. At the end of the day, I can say it was a super good day, but believe me, it was tough and nervous from the first kilometer to the last. It’s hard to say that I’ve enjoyed it, but I’m super happy that I have finished off, once again, a super teamwork.”
As Thibau once again proved himself to be one of the best puncheurs in the peloton, similarly Lidl-Trek again demonstrated its discipline, purpose and spirit of sacrifice. The best image of this work lies perhaps in the leadout by Pedersen and Bagioli in the key moment of the race, in the last 5km. The teams of the best riders all wanted to be in front, but it was the Lidl-Trek jerseys that shone.
“I think, as a team, we interpreted the stage perfectly. I have to thank all the guys for the work they did, how much they believed in me today. I send a big good luck for a speedy recovery to Ryan [Gibbons, who crashed reporting concussion and significant contusion oh his right shoulder].
We managed the efforts well on the longer climbs, which were covered with a high speed. That allowed me to save energy as much as possible, exploiting the slipstream from the riders in front of me. Then it was really about positioning and legs. Again, my teammates did a super job. As planned, Mads and Bagio put me in the best position, then I waited for the right moment to give my everything and take this stage” added Nys.
Understanding the limits of young Thibau’s potential is a difficult task. One certainty is that, along with his incredible talent, he possesses a super strong mindset.
It’s always hard to go into the finale and approaching the last kilometers in stages like this. Even if I was in control, I knew it would have to suffer a lot to win. There's just one thing to do, that is, getting over it and being the best to endure the effort and the pain you have in the legs.