Sven Nys disagrees with Lappartient's comments about his son Thibau: "Young riders need to make their own choices"

Our correspondent on the ground made a thorough round of interviews at the buses and campers before the World Cup race in Dendermonde. Among others, Lucinda Brand and Ryan Kamp took the time to speak extensively with IDLProCycling.com. Baloise Trek Lions team manager Sven Nys was also eager to comment on various topics.

We spoke to Nys on Sunday, November 12th, the day his son Thibau Nys celebrated his 21st birthday. However, Nys junior did not spend it in Dendermonde, where he was notably absent. After a great start to the season (with three victories), things have been less smooth lately for the charming top talent, who stepped off at the European Cyclo-Cross Championships in Pontchâteau and finished 27th in Niel (on November 11th). "In Niel, it obviously wasn't very good. I think he's just in a bit of a slump," shares 47-year-old Nys senior.

Thibau's rough patch doesn't cause panic for Nys Senior

"But I think it's normal at that age to have ups and downs. It's something we need to put into perspective. There are also other young riders now who are doing excellently," adds the multiple world champion in cyclo-cross, referring to, for example, Pim Ronhaar, who eventually won in Dendermonde five hours later. What exactly went wrong for Thibau in Niel? "After a good start, he quickly made a tactical error by staying on his bike too long. This cost him some positions, followed by a series of small mistakes. He probably didn't have the best legs either. And in such races, it's really tough," says the man from Bonheiden.

According to cyclo-cross legend Sven Nys, Thibau's recent dip in form doesn't mean there will be any changes to the race schedule of the new favorite in cyclo-cross. "No, I don't think there will be any changes to his program. Not normally, at least, unless he becomes ill or something similar. However, it doesn't look like he's getting sick, so I'm not considering a changed race calendar."

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Nys disagrees with statements made by UCI head Lappartient

In an earlier interview with this website, senior Nys had expressed great satisfaction with the familial atmosphere ("club of friends") within his team, Baloise Trek Lions. In Dendermonde, he adds that he is also more than happy with the team's performance. "I am extremely pleased with what the team has shown so far, especially in terms of width. Joris (Nieuwenhuis, ed.) competes for wins occasionally, Lars (Van der Haar, ed.) has already won, Pim is doing very well. I think as a team we can be very satisfied," he praises.

Consciously or unconsciously, Dendermonde was not just a 'notable' cross due to Nys' absence. It was also this past weekend that UCI President David Lappartient expressed criticism towards riders who skip World Cup races. Particularly, the 50-year-old Frenchman directed his comments at Nys. "He says he's tired, but why would he race on Saturday in Niel? If you're tired, you don't race. I don't want to stigmatize him, because Thibau Nys is a rider much needed by the cyclocross sport," he stated. This remark led to considerable displeasure among others, including Van der Haar. Sven Nys also has his opinion about the statements. "I think riders should have the right to make their own choices. Especially when it comes to young riders, as my own son is mentioned here, for example. There's going to be a lot said and written in the coming weeks, but it's not up to me to come up with an immediate counter-response."

"We must evaluate step by step how she's doing," Nys says about Brand's return

Brand made her comeback in cyclocross at the Dendermonde race, after undergoing a rehabilitation process of about two months. She had already spoken about this herself, but it seemed interesting to also ask Nys about the return of the 34-year-old woman from Dordrecht, who would later race to an impressive second place that day. "I am very happy that Lucinda is returning to racing. Of course, it is her first cross after a long recovery period. I think we should not expect anything and that anything she shows here is already a bonus. The plan is for her to race every week, sometimes even twice. We will see how it turns out. What is certain is that we need to evaluate step by step how she's doing," Nys says, almost echoing what the 2021 world champion herself said.

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"How are we going to approach it? How does she recover? These are all things we're going to examine closely. She's been improving week by week. We've also seen good values in training," Nys further explains why Brand chose Dendermonde - where she won in 2020 and 2021 - for her comeback. "She obviously has fond memories of the cross in Dendermonde. But also, because she seemed to be in good condition, we decided to choose this as her first race. Moreover, it was all manageable with her shoulder. Cyclocross is a completely different story compared to road racing. We believe she's truly ready to fully dive into descents again, carry her bike on her shoulder, and perform such cyclocross-specific actions. And then, you're ready to return to racing."