Thibau Nys departs team hotel to avoid sickness that caused four Belgian teammates to withdraw from Cyclo-cross World Championships on Saturday

Thibau Nys has left the Belgium team hotel after a sickness bug resulted in four riders missing their events on Saturday at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Hulst.

Last year’s men's under-23 World Championships silver medallist Kay De Bruyckere was most severely impacted and taken to hospital.

"Kay is not doing so well. He is now in the hospital in Bruges," was the update provided by De Bruyckere's trade team Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw to Sporza. "He just won't stop vomiting and that started last night. It's very serious."

Meanwhile, junior Zita Peeters and elite rider Julie Brouwers missed their respective women's events Saturday due to illness. Junior Shanyl De Schoesitter was not on the start list but was reported as sick as well.

Riders on the Luxembourg team are staying in the same hotel as the Belgians, with June Northum, Ben Fleming and Layla Barthels also too ill to compete.

However, not all of the Belgium squad were hit by the illness and Aaron Dockx soloed to victory in the under-23 men’s event.

Sporza also reported that elite men’s medal contender Niels Vandeputte was not ‘feeling well either’. The Belgian men's team had eight riders designated for the start Sunday, looking to unseat reigning champion Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands).

The team’s doctor Kris Van der Mieren told Sporza that he thought they had suffered a stomach bug, after the team’s hotel denied other claims of food poisoning.

"I assume it's the norovirus," he told Sporza. "That is a virus that is currently circulating very quickly."

When asked if it is possible that the outbreak can happen so quickly? Van der Mieren added: "That is certainly possible. Especially if you are close to each other with many people."

The news outlet confirmed that Nys will not sleep at the Belgium team’s hotel tonight as a precaution. In a further piece, the hotel said that a ‘few riders’ had left the hotel, in addition to Nys.

Experience the 2026 cycling season with a Cyclingnews subscription that offers you unlimited access to our unrivalled coverage. Our global team will be on the ground at all the major races to bring you breaking news, in-depth features, exclusive interviews and member-exclusive content. Find out more.