Nys surprised himself in Liège and adjusts ambitions, but first looks to the summer: "Already studied the first week of the Tour"

Afterward, a beaming Nys stood in front of Sporza’s microphone. There, he admitted he was pleasantly surprised by his own performance. "I said beforehand that this was the race that suited me the least, but I have to take that back. Now that I’ve ridden it for the first time, it actually suits me better than I expected. The way the race plays out often works in favor of riders like me. If you can handle the succession of climbs well, you can achieve a really big result."

While there were over 4,000 meters of climbing, a fairly large group came together in the finale to fight for the minor places. And suddenly, Nys had another chance. "Because of his strong sprint, he can afford to follow and wait. It certainly won’t be the last time he finishes near the top," analyst Jan Bakelants observed.  

For a moment, things looked really bad for the 22-year-old cyclo-cross star, who hit a rough patch late in the race. "It was a lot for me to process, everything that happened in the final hour. I went through a lot of emotions. I felt super good on La Redoute and didn’t think I had gone over my limit. I was even thinking about a podium finish, but after that, I just couldn’t recover from the effort and was on the verge of cramping."

"At one point, I actually feared I’d end up in the last group. I quickly grabbed some pickle juice, and luckily such a big group came together that I could benefit from it and still sprint for a good result. The team asked in the final 10 kilometers if they should lead me out, and I said, ‘Oh no, don’t bother, guys,’ because I had been struggling with serious cramps since the Côte des Forges."

Nys took a real risk by letting his team work for him. "It could easily have happened that I completely locked up in the sprint," he admitted. "But I let the guys go for it and decided to just see what I had left. I found a gap on the left and launched my sprint from far out. In the end, someone just barely passed me." Nys finished fifth, the second-best finisher of the main group, with only Simone Velasco (XDS Astana) outsprinting him.

His debut Ardennes campaign is now complete: three top-20 finishes, including two in the top 10. Not bad at all for a first-timer. "I think I would’ve definitely signed up for that in advance. I expected a little more from La Flèche Wallonne, but that day just wasn’t there for me." One thing is clear: Nys is hungry for more. "I think I can really build on this for the future. I want to come back to the Ardennes and try to win."

After the spring, Nys is shifting his focus to the summer and he has big plans. "I’ll still race Frankfurt on Thursday, and then I’ll head to Sierra Nevada," he said. "As preparation for the Tour? Well, it will be with the Tour team that we’re going there. The selection will be announced soon enough." Nys didn’t want to say too much yet, but his gut feeling tells him he’s in a good position to earn a spot for the Tour de France. "I can’t say for sure if I’ll be there, but it doesn't look bad."

The Tour de France starts on July 5 in Lille, and Nys would love nothing more than to be on the start line. Especially in the first days, there will be opportunities for a puncher like him, with climbs like the Mûr-de-Bretagne featuring early on. "I’ve already studied the first week carefully. Stages 2, 4, 6, and 7 look interesting. Everything is looking positive toward being there. I’m not saying I’ll win a stage, but you have to be ready to seize any chances."