Belgian analyst Wuyts finds comparisons between father and son Nys 'ridiculous' and wants it to stop

Cyclo-cross continues on Sunday after a small break with the World Cup in Benidorm. The top riders in the Spanish sun will be there, including Wout van Aert. Thibau Nys returns to the field for the first time since his Belgian title. His victory caused euphoric scenes and bold statements about his future. The comparison with his legendary father, Sven Nys, is obvious but raises some question marks for analyst Michel Wuyts.

"The question of whether Thibau Nys will threaten Sven's nine Belgian cyclo-cross titles after his first one is not only foolish but even ridiculous," believes the analyst in HLN. Wuyts has to admit that there is undoubtedly a difference between the two on the road, which falls in Thibau's favor.

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Sven and Thibau Nys

The question is absurd and ridiculous 

"Sven won the Grand Prix of Oetingen and delivered a memorable Paris-Roubaix in 2001. The one in which Museeuw asked him what he was doing as a young rider in that leading group. The incident made the ambitious Nys break down in tears. He was unable to stand up against the epo-generation. On the other hand, he was weighing a bit too much to wipe out Ulissi, Onley, and Vingegaard in an uphill sprint or to win nine big road races in one season," Wuyts adds

"Thibau is further ahead in terms of race insight, physical strength, and explosiveness than I have ever been," Sven said afterward. Wuyts couldn't agree with that, though. The analyst recalled memories from Gavere, where Sven beat Erwin Vervecken with a great attack.

"I take it for granted that Thibau Nys gets higher outputs in five- and ten-minute tests than his father did back then. I can also see that son Nys, in top form, rides around with confidence. In Zolder, from lap two, the boy's face did not have a frown that revealed a hint of anxiety. On the other hand, Sven sometimes suffered from that when the stakes were high. But to state now that the cyclo-cross rider Thibau will reach bigger results than his dad is extremely premature. The question of whether he will threaten Sven's nine Belgian cyclo-cross titles after his first title is absurd and just ridiculous," Wuyts believes.

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Nys wins as European champion

Nys will never reach 30 cyclo-cross victories in a season

According to Wuyts, you shouldn't want to compare, but if you do, do it based on age. "In the 1998-1999 season, Sven was making his debut in the pro category. The high-profile riders at that moment didn't know what hit them. Paul Herygers had warned them in a West Flemish dressing room. "That cool guy from Ball will give you all a hard time. And so Sven did, from Ruddervoorde to Oostmalle. Fourteen victories. How many? Yes, fourteen. Every single one of them was impressive. Thibau is now at four," Wuyts wants to point out the difference.

Wuyts comes up with another argument to make his point clear. "I reread those names. None of Thibau's opponents at Zolder came close to the men Sven competed against in ability. And don't forget, Sven was at his peak for around a decade; he ruled the cyclo-cross."

And so, in Wuyts' view, it is done with all the comparisons because they don't make sense anywhere. "For multi-talented men, quality prevails over quantity. 30 wins in a season, established by Sven in 2007, have become beyond reach. Longer road campaigns will prevent Thibau from riding more cyclo-cross races than he does now." He also thinks the day will come when we will not see the young Belgian in the cyclo-cross until December. "Only a bunch of UCI members with tunnel vision will blame him," Wuyts concludes.

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