Instant success for Nys, who is brimming with confidence ahead of the Ardennes: “I knew I was going to win”

“I dreamt about this last night,” Nys laughed in the post-race flash interview. “I knew I was in good shape, and that the race would suit me, especially with that final wall. I think that climb really suited me well, but you never know how your body will respond in the first race. But once the finale opened up, I could feel that my legs were really good. I knew I had a strong finish in me, but you never know how the competition will be. But as we hit the final climb, I knew I was going to win.”

Lidl-Trek played the finale to perfection: Bauke Mollema was in the lead group, and as that group was reeled back in, Thibau Nys launched a powerful acceleration. Nobody could keep up with him. “I think we executed perfectly. We were in the right position at the right moment, I stayed calm and stayed out of the wind early on. In the finale, it went great — with Bauke in the front group we didn’t have to do anything. On the final climb, it was full gas, and I could do my thing. I knew that if you reached the top with a five-second gap, you’d win the race.”

After a busy cyclo-cross winter, a rest period was very important, but the pre-season build-up went flawlessly after that. “I knew I had done what I needed to in the preparation: I ticked all the boxes and got a lot of positive signals. I really feel like I’ve made a step forward, and if I arrive at this kind of finish with good legs, I knew I could be up there. Then you just wait to see how the legs and the body respond, and it turned out to be positive.”

The 22-year-old Nys will make his debut in the Ardennes classics later this month. With those races in mind, Saturday’s attack was frighteningly strong. The name Thibau Nys can no longer be left off the list of contenders. “It means a lot. It shows that I’m on the right track, although I think I can still find a few more percentage points in the Tour of the Basque Country to be truly at my best heading into the Ardennes. But I’m very satisfied with where I’m at. Winning right away is nice — it really boosts the confidence.”