The "natural connection" between Thibau Nys and Mathias Vacek, explained by the Czech
CyclingThursday, 13 June 2024 at 09:11
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Follow us on GoogleSoren Waerenskjold was, as expected, the winner of the opening time trial in the Baloise Belgium Tour on Wednesday, but it was somewhat surprising to see Mathias Vacek finishing second. The Czech champion has been doing crucial work for Thibau Nys in recent weeks, but now gets to do his own thing in the homeland of his leader.
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Did Vacek expect this performance himself? "I've been working a lot on my time trialing in recent months. I haven't competed in many, the last one was actually in the Algarve, but this allowed me to prepare well. I'm in good form and have significantly improved compared to last year,"
he concluded happily afterwards in conversation with IDLProCycling.com.
"The second place stings a bit, but I gave it my all. I can't blame myself. Maybe I should have gone a bit slower in the first part, so I would have had an extra gear in the second part. But that’s hindsight. I want to make up the time I’m behind as quickly as possible," said the man who is also excellent in hilly terrain. He recently finished fourth in the Tour of Norway.
Vacek knows winner Waerenskjold from their time in the under-23 category. At the U23 World Championships time trial in 2022, won by the Norwegian, Vacek himself finished ninth. "Soren is a strong guy, who knows how to pace his time trials well. He rode the second part much faster, so all I can do is congratulate him. I’ll need to work on my time trials," he quipped.
Vacek on working together with Nys: "We know each other's limits"
The Czech's strong time trial is the latest success for the riders of Lidl-Trek, which invested heavily last winter following the arrival of new sponsor Lidl. "We've been working hard on time trials with the team. There's been a lot of testing during training camps, and it's starting to pay off. Nowadays, it's all about the details."
The 22-year-old from Central Europe has already helped Nys to victories in Norway and Romandy, particularly impressing in the former race. "Thibau and I have a natural connection. We're the same age but aren't competitive towards each other. I'm always happy for him, like when he won in the Tour of Switzerland," said the exemplary teammate.
So what makes them such a successful duo? "When we're together, we're always highly motivated to do our best. We know each other's limits well, so we can often execute our plans effectively. It’s really great. Thibau is mentally very strong and a great leader. He’s gaining more experience as he ages, but he's already very skilled and always has a healthy dose of confidence."
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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