Thibau Nys' debut performance at Flèche Wallonne may have been hampered by the cold and rain, but the Lidl-Trek rider still managed to finish eighth place on the Mur de Huy, 16 seconds behind the day's winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).
"I suffered because of the cold. I've been struggling all day with my clothes and the rain," Nys said in a post-race interview with Het Laatste Nieuws.
"I was too hot and then too cold again. That really affected my legs, very early in the final, actually. When it went faster or on a longer climb, I got through it, but then I was shaking again on the descents."
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The 205.1km race began with a new departure from Ciney and featured three ascents of the Mur de Huy - the 1.3km iconic climb with an average gradient of 9.6%, peaking at 20% - the final 37.2km circuit, with the sequence Ereffe - Cherave - Mur de Huy, was tackled three times before a winner is crowned.
"I already felt my legs locking up on the penultimate climb when I had to push harder. But that's no excuse, right?" Nys said. "Everyone must have felt that way, except for one person. I can be happy."
Nys was among the front group heading into the last ascent, where Pogačar launched his searing attack on the steepest section. The remainder of the group of favourites were left to battle out the podium spots, with Kévin Vauquelin (Arkea-B&B Hotels) finishing second and Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) third. Nys crossed the line in eighth place just ahead of Olympic Champion Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep).
"I couldn't get my final attack out because I had already suffered seriously from the cold. The weather had a much bigger impact than the course or the speed. That wasn't too bad, but it was just cold," he said.
Nys said he was satisfied with his performance, even if he didn't feel like he was at his best for this Flèche Wallonne.
"The first part went quite slowly, but I felt the cold in my legs. That's why I lost a few places. I certainly couldn't have done anything against Pogačar, but I'm not riding my best Mur either. But I'm definitely satisfied," he said.
"I got the most out of it, and the race conditions are what they are. I'm not the only one who suffered."
Nys is now looking ahead to Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday, where he intends to play a support role for Lidl-Trek. A 12th at Amstel Gold Race and 8th at Flèche Wallonne, Nys has had a promising run at his first Ardennes Classics week so far.
But, overall, he said he would like to have a better introduction to Liège-Bastogne-Liège than the cold and wet weather he faced at Flèche Wallonne.
Asked what he learned from Flèche, he said. "That my condition is very good. Liège is less suitable for me on paper, but I want to work for the team and see where I end up. This is a nice first introduction."
