Thibau Nys is barely out of the junior ranks in cyclocross and already making an impression well beyond his under-23 world title from February.
On Sunday the 20-year-old Belgian powered away from a quality field on a soggy course in Waterloo, Wisconsin to win the first elite men’s World Cup race of his young career.
It wasn’t just a solo victory but a powerful display that left three-time World Cup Waterloo champion Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) 16 seconds behind for second place.
"It's unbelievable and something I will never forget. I knew I was in good shape, but riding so dominant is incredible," Thibau Nys said after the win.
His father Sven Nys was overcome with emotion. He watched his son race from the barriers and the two hugged emotionally immediately after Thibau crossed the line.
It was a hugely symbolic moment for the elder Nys, a cyclocross legend with two world titles and more than 140 cyclocross victories who is now the manager for the Baloise Trek Lions team.
“Tears flowed on both sides. It was a fantastic moment that I will never forget,” Sven Nys told the Flemish media.
“He has already been world champion twice, but this is in the pros. That is something else,” Sven Nys told HLN, referring to his son’s prowess at UCI Cyclocross World Championships as a junior in 2020 and U23 rider last season.
“We are going to have him ride a balanced program. In principle he will never ride more than one race per weekend. He's also going to lose often. What I especially don't want to see is people now comparing him to Wout van Aert or Mathieu van der Poel. Let him first try to make life difficult for the men who are now at the start. And what will happen, will happen."
It is hard to not to be compared with the two current giants of cyclocross, who have 13 cyclocross world titles between them.
Thibau Nys joined them in the world-class club as the only men to have won an elite men’s cyclocross World Cup before the age of 21. Van der Poel won in 2015 at Hoogerheide and Van Aert won in Koksijde a year before that. Van der Poel was the youngest ever winner to date, winning just six days after turning 20.
The Belgian rider completed his first full season on the road this past year with Trek-Segafredo, winning a stage and the points classification at the Tour of Norway.
He also had a pair of podiums at the Tour de Romandie and Tour de Hongrie.
"Here in the US and at the headquarters of Trek, riding solo to the line, it's one of the best days on my bike," Thibau Nys said.
"I made a big step this summer, and was so proud to show it last week, but I didn't expect to be here like this"
Thibau Nys won four U23 World Cup races last season en route to the rainbow jersey.
The victory on Sunday in Wisconsin allowed him to switch from the blue and red colours of the Baloise Trek Lions to the white-and-red World Cup leader’s jersey. He faces a long cyclocross season, with 13 more events to go.
