Thibau Nys (Baloise Glowi Lions) claimed a solo victory in a dominant fashion to win the opening round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Tábor, Czechia, on Sunday.
The Belgian champion attacked on the second lap, taking advantage of a mistake by Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ridley Racing Team) and never looked back. Nys made it look easy in freezing conditions as he powered to the finish with time to spare, crossing the line comfortably and celebrating with raised arms.
Behind him, a chase group quickly formed and continually reshuffled throughout the race, with Laurens Sweeck (Crelan-Corendon) eventually getting clear to secure second place. Nieuwenhuis settled for third, finishing four seconds ahead of Jente Michels (Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team).
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“I had a feeling already yesterday during the recon that I could sprint from corner to corner. But then when I watched the races this morning, I thought it was really difficult to get an advantage, but I immediately felt the good legs, and I just went for it,” Nys said.
“When Joris crashed in the second lap, I got a small advantage, and I always had the feeling like I just tried to keep pushing, and when they come back, they come back. And halfway through the race, I felt like, ‘What am I doing, actually?’ Because I didn't make it easy, but I was in control, and I had the right legs.”
Nys agreed that going solo would diminish the risks of anyone making a mistake in front of him, but said the real motivator was simply how strong he felt.
“Also that I was I didn't really want to come in a situation where you go into the last three or four laps with still 10 guys together, and I felt good, so I just went for it.”
Last year’s overall World Cup winner, Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw), crashed hard on the tarmac with three laps to go and fell out of the chase group to ultimately finish 17th.
Cameron Mason (Seven Racing) faced trouble at the start, having to put a foot down and dropping to the back of the 44-rider field. The British champion then launched an impressive comeback, steadily passing riders to finish ninth, 37 seconds behind the winner.
How it unfolded
The 44-rider field battled freezing conditions, starting the race in bright sunshine at -1°C, with temperatures dropping even further by the time the sun began to set at the end of the eight-lap race.
After taking the holeshot, Kevin Kuhn led the field single-file behind him at the start, while British champion Cameron Mason (Seven Racing) had an issue, pushing him all the way to the back of the field. By the end of the opening lap, splits had started to form with Thibau Nys (Baloise Glowi Lions) and Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ridley Racing Team) pulling away with a few seconds on a chasing group which included Emiel Verstrynge (Crelan-Corendon), Lars van der Haar (Baloise Glowi Lions), Pan-American champion Andrew Strohmeyer (CXD Trek Bikes) and Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw).
Nieuwenhuis went down, and though he got up quickly, it was enough time for Nys to pull away, and continue on solo to victory. The Belgian champion rode flawlessly on the frozen course with slippery sections all the way.
By the start of the fourth lap, Nys had 15 seconds and Vanthourenhout with Verstrynge and Nieuwenhuis were together a few seconds back, followed by another chase group consisting of Jente Michels (Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team), Van der Haar, Sweeck and Strohmeyer.
While Nys cruised to victory, the chase group behind him continued to shuffle and reform. Disaster struck for Vanthourenhout as the riders hit the pavement at the end of the fifth lap — he crashed hard, forcing Van der Haar to brake sharply to avoid running into him, costing Van der Haar several positions.
With two laps remaining, Nys held a commanding 43-second lead over a chase trio of Verstrynge, Nieuwenhuis, and Sweeck, while Ryan Kamp, Strohmeyer, and Van der Haar followed only a few seconds behind. Mason had climbed his way up to 12th place.
Sweeck pushed the pace in the fight for the podium placings, getting some daylight behind him at the start of the bell lap, and was able to hold on for second place. Nieuwenhiuis bested Michels to round out the podium.
Results
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