European Cyclo-cross Championships: Thibau Nys wins second elite title as Belgium sweeps the podium

Thibau Nys powered away from his Belgian compatriot Joran Wyseure on the final lap on the slippery, heavy course to win his second elite men’s title at the UEC Cyclo-cross European Championships in Zeddam, Netherlands on Sunday.

Wyseure crossed the line seven seconds later to claim silver, bettering his third place from last year. Completing an all-Belgian podium. Niels Vandeputte took bronze, winning the sprint from a four-rider chase group.

With the largest squads in the race, Belgium fielding eight riders and the Netherlands five, the two teams took turns in the early laps, forcing the other to expend energy closing gaps on the slippery, heavy course. The tactical battle between the eternal rivals continued until Nys launched an attack on an off-camber section leading into the long stairs. Kuhn responded immediately, with Wyseure on his wheel.

Nys and Wyseure pulled away with three laps to go, and battled each other until Nys put in a big acceleration, opening up a gap on the stairs and holding it to the finish line.

“A tough one. I think it was a hard and a really nice battle with Joran. He was super strong and it was really difficult to get rid of each other, so I felt halfway through the race that it will be a big explosion in the last lap," Nys said.

Nys agreed that the course was demanding: “It is, I mean, it is quite hard, but on the other hand, it's quite difficult to make a gap. And especially when you have to pull in the front on the section on the road on the finish line, it takes away a lot of energy, and it was a bit of a gamble over there.”

“There is a lot more to come. For me, every race is just as important as another one, and next week is just as important as today’s the European Championships. So yeah, I will try to let the jersey shine.”

How it unfolded

Zeddam already hosted the 2006 Cyclocross World Championships, won by Erwin Vervecken (Belgium) and Marianne Vos (Netherlands).

34 riders, staged across five rows, took on the updated 2.97 km course, designed by the same Vervecken. The toughest obstacle was the revamped staircase with its 99 steps, used for the first time in a championship course. Also new was a 60-meter-long rider bridge alongside the Grafelijke Korenmolen, the oldest still-operating windmill in the Netherlands.

Kevin Kuhn (Switzerland) took the holeshot, surging from the second row on the long, slightly uphill start straight, and led the pack on the first lap. Spain’s Felipe Orts took over setting the pace on the second lap, while Cameron Mason (Great Britain), after a slow start, was 22 seconds back.

The tactical battle ended when Belgian Thibau Nys launched an attack on an off-camber section leading into the stairs. Kuhn responded immediately, with Belgian Joran Wyseure on his wheel, getting a free ride.

By the start of the fourth lap, Nys had four seconds on Kuhn and Wyseure, and then 14 seconds on the second chase group, which organised behind Ryan Kamp (Netherlands). Once a gap was established to the group behind, Wyseure came to the front and reeled in his compatriot. Behind, Joris Nieuwenhuis (Netherlands), with Belgian duo Michael Vanthourenhout and Niels Vandeputte close by, launched from the chase group.

Nys continued to apply pressure, as Kuhn fell off the pace, while Wyseure worked hard to get back on by the start of the seventh lap. Kuhn, 10 seconds back, was caught on the stairs by Orts, Vandeputte, Nieuwenhuis and Mason, leading to a five-way battle for the bronze medal.

Coming into the ninth and final lap, Nys ooked behind him across the 12-second gap at the chasing group, before putting a big acceleration to drop Wyseure. He built on a slight gap opened on the stairs, to power on to take the win.

Results

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