Belgium already piling pressure on Thibau Nys: "I believe he can win every Monument"

Nys himself admitted he did not expect to take fifth place in Liege , and Marc Sergeant shared that surprise. Speaking to Het Nieuwsblad, the analyst praised both Lidl-Trek and Nys for their approach. "They built it up perfectly so that Nys could deliver three strong results in his first Ardennes triple," he said. "Right now, Nys is not yet a match for this version of Pogačar, but that kind of dominance will not happen every year. Give Nys a few more seasons and if he finds himself in a select group of four or five top riders at the finish, with his speed he will absolutely be a contender for the win."

In a way, Sergeant was simply echoing Nys’s own words. The young Belgian had surprised even himself with his ride at La Doyenne. "I said beforehand that this was the Monument that suited me the least, but I have to take that back," Nys admitted. "Now that I have raced it for the first time, it actually suits me better than I expected. The way the race unfolds often plays into the hands of riders like me. If you can handle those short, punchy climbs well, you can land a really big result here."

Read more below the photo.

In the HLN podcast Wuyts & Vlaeminck, Michel Wuyts took things a step further. The former commentator is fully sold on Nys’s talent, believing he should not just focus on the Ardennes. "I am not basing this so much on his fifth place, but more on how easily he followed on La Redoute. He is only 22, which means you can really build something. The only challenge is that he will have to keep up with the Pogacar generation."

Belgian national coach Serge Pauwels pushed the hype even further. Pauwels believes that if Nys can hang in there at Liège, he can also contend at Milan-Sanremo, the Tour of Flanders, and maybe even Il Lombardia. And thanks to his cyclocross background, he could even take on Paris-Roubaix. "I believe he has the ability to win every Monument," Pauwels said. "From what I have seen so far, everything looks within his reach."

Nys already has an impressive list of victories, even though he has never completed a full road season. His 12 career wins speak for themselves, Pauwels added. "He has so much technical ability. If he can finish this high in the Ardennes classics, there is no reason he cannot do the same in the Flemish ones."