European cyclocross champion Thibau Nys (Baloise Glowi Lions) started off his 2025-26 cyclocross season with a solo victory at Koppenbergcross, the first round of the X2O Trofee.
After wrapping up his road season in August, 22-year-old Nys announced that he is tackling a long cyclocross season, only missing the first two weekends of racing, before taking his first win.
Nys pulled away on the second lap, with British champion Cameron Mason (Seven Racing) briefly on his wheel, and then went solo before waving to fans on the iconic Koppenberg climb and raising his arms in victory, his second on the climb after his 2023 win.
Mason, finishing with a broken shoe sustained in a fall at the end of lap 4, claimed second, crossing the line 21 seconds later. Further back, Belgian Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Glowi Lions) came in at 1:44 down to round out the podium.
Riding cautiously in the top 15 position at the start, with multiple riders taking the front to set the pace, Nys slowly moved up to the top three by the end of the first lap. A lap that saw Toon Aerts (Deschacht -Hens-CX Team) slip out on the muddy off-camber course, and Ronhaar led a small group with Nys, Mason and Jente Michels (Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team) with a 10-second lead on chasers Victor Van de Putte (Deschacht -Hens-CX Team), Emiel Verstrynge (Crelan-Corendon), and Aerts.
Mason and Nys pulled away before Nys continued on solo, often looking behind him as Mason kept on applying pressure. With four laps to go, Nys had 10 seconds on Mason, chased by Ronhaar, and Michels together, followed by Aerts. Michels dropped his chain on the climb at the end of the lap and was forced to walk up to the pit to get a new bike.
With three laps to go, Nys held an 18-second advantage over Mason, who had crashed on an off-camber section and slid into a wooden post. The Briton quickly remounted, but the impact had broken a closure on his shoe.
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One lap later, Nys extended his lead to 25 seconds over Mason, while Ronhaar trailed by 51 seconds, Van de Putte by 1:27, and Aerts by 1:31. As Mason entered the pit, he shook his head toward his mechanics, probably declining a shoe change, as he grabbed a clean bike and pushed on.
The situation remained the same on the sixth and final lap, as Nys had plenty of time to celebrate his victory.
Koppenbergcross podium (l-r): second place Cameron Mason (Seven Racing), winner Thinau Nys (Baloise Glowi Lions) and third place Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Glowi Lions) (Image credit: Getty Images)
Lyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing. She founded Podium Insight in 2008, quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world. She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans. She is proud to have covered men's and women's news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site. Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites.
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