Technically superior Thibau Nys flies over the barriers to claim the European Cyclo-Cross Championship title, Orts stuns home crowd with silver!

They were the last to compete on a packed European Championship day, starting at 3:30 PM. A strong Belgian contingent lined up against Van der Haar, and so the race unfolded. The first lap was a fast-paced single line until the Belgians took the lead, allowing Iserbyt to create a small gap. As the Belgian champion, he didn’t have his countrymen chasing him, leaving the job to the Dutch team.

Van der Haar initially chased alone, but eventually, Pim Ronhaar stepped in to help. This neutralized Iserbyt’s break, and Michael Vanthourenhout found little room to move forward. Ronhaar then took it upon himself to set the pace, aiming to discourage the Belgians from launching another attack. After three laps, all the Belgian and Dutch favorites were still together.

That changed when Van der Haar launched an attack in the fourth lap. The pace increased, putting pressure on Ronhaar. Van der Haar was now the sole Dutch rider up front but found an ally in Spanish rider Felipe Orts. For a moment, they seemed in control, but then Nys appeared out of nowhere, jumping over the barriers with his bike and bridging up with Orts, creating a gap. Iserbyt managed to close the distance, but Van der Haar couldn’t. At the end of the lap, with four laps to go, Orts and Nys led by three seconds over Iserbyt and nine seconds over Van der Haar and the rest.

It was an ideal setup for the Belgians, but Nys refused to let Iserbyt close the gap. With another burst of speed and a bold leap over the barriers, he put pressure on Orts while keeping the less agile Iserbyt at a distance. The small Belgian eventually caught up at the start of lap seven, with Orts pushing to his limit. Van der Haar made an all-or-nothing effort and impressively rejoined the front.

For a brief moment, the group came together, with Niels Vandeputte also fighting his way back behind Van der Haar. But the barriers remained Nys’s playground, as he gained a few easy seconds each lap by flying over them effortlessly. Orts, risking everything, managed to jump alongside him, but Iserbyt and Van der Haar fell back briefly after the barriers. Eleven seconds, with two laps to go—was this Nys’s decisive move?

Yes, it seemed so. Nys and Orts joined forces, with Nys aiming for a potential title and Orts for a surprise European Championship medal. Twelve seconds into the final lap—would Nys fulfill his role as the favorite in this duo? Orts seemed to accept second place, choosing not to jump the barriers on the last pass, though Nys was also pushing his limits. The European title was his, with Orts delivering the performance of his life to take silver. Iserbyt secured the bronze.