Finally, Nys performed great again: "Remove Van der Poel and I would ride solo in front the whole race"

Today was a successful day for Nys. After disappointing and inconsistent weeks, it was a welcome boost for the Belgian. He finished second in Zonhoven behind a phenomenal Van der Poel—the only similarity between the two in Zonhoven: a long solo to the finish.

"This feels good, even being second," Nys began his story in the flash interview. "I'm just happy that I was finally back in the race. The last weeks were not easy; a couple of times, there were bad days or bad luck with good legs. I'm glad I could finally turn it around again."

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Thibau Nys

Nys struggles with rhythm changes during the race

Hulst was particularly difficult for Nys, but in Zonhoven, he proved that the form was good. "Yesterday, I struggled against myself for an hour because I couldn't find the rhythm. Today, we had a lap where I successfully converted my form into speed. Van der Poel stood out above the rest, but I could do my thing behind that. TRemove Van der Poel and I would ride solo in front the whole race," Nys analyzed.

With that, Nys was the best of the rest today. "I panicked momentarily during the last lap because I made a mistake. Otherwise, I was pretty much alone after a bike change from Ronhaar. But it would also have been ridiculous to keep my legs still and sit back in the group. I succeeded in developing a pace I could maintain during the entire race."

One swallow does not make a summer, Nys also knows. "I don't want to draw too many conclusions from this. This result means I'm in shape, but I must convert that more often during the race. If there is a competition like today, I have little trouble with that. But in a race with many rhythm changes, where you are taken out of your pace, like yesterday, I have trouble with that. We must work on that because that's important as a cyclo-cross rider," the young Belgian concluded.

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