Nieuwenhuis looks back on tough months after nationals: "WorldTour riders blew past me when they didn't even need to be in shape"

At long last, Joris Nieuwenhuis has completed his first cyclo-cross race of the winter season. The outgoing Dutch champion made his return at the Dutch National Championships, where he immediately claimed a podium spot with a third-place finish. After the race, the eloquent rider shared his story with IDLProCycling.com.

For a moment, it even looked like Nieuwenhuis might pull off a surprise in Oisterwijk. He was part of the action from the start, as if he had never been away. Halfway through the race, he was still riding in the lead group with Tibor Del Grosso, Pim Ronhaar, and Lars van der Haar. However, in the second half, the younger riders managed to drop him. Despite this, Nieuwenhuis had every reason to be satisfied with his third-place finish, and the Ridley rider certainly was.

Read more below the photo!

Nieuwenhuis felt the pressure ahead of the National Championships

What feeling dominates after the race?
"When I look back at the past few months, where I wasn’t healthy and couldn’t race, I’m definitely happy. And relieved."

Why did you choose the National Championships as your first race?

"We could’ve started last week, but a race like Dendermonde wouldn’t have been ideal as the first cyclo-cross race. So, we decided to take an extra week to build up a bit more."

How did you feel getting up this morning?
"I definitely felt a certain level of tension, as if it were the first race of the winter. And well, it was, so the nerves were there—I could feel it."

Did it take some getting used to?

"I didn’t have much acceleration, and I noticed that. It was a tough course, but on the other hand, that doesn’t really matter. As a cyclo-cross rider, you need to be able to handle any course, so I focused on that. I didn’t have any expectations because I’ve only been training on my own. In a way, that made it easier because if it didn’t go well, I’d know exactly why. In that sense, I had nothing to lose."

Have you learned a lot as an athlete and as a person over the past few months?

"In every tough period, you learn a lot. They say, 'You win some, you learn some.' At first, it’s hard to look at it that way, but eventually, I managed to."

So what was it like to be in Spain while everyone else was racing here in Belgium?

"At first, it was tough. All the WorldTour riders were also in Spain, and they’d fly past me uphill while they didn’t even need to be in shape yet. That made me think, ‘There’s still a long way to go.’ So yeah, it was hard. But after a while, I started making progress, and that gave me optimism."

Read more below the photo!

You’ve been training with people like Thomas Dekker and Lorena Wiebes, and Lars van der Haar came over for dinner. How did that help you?

"Haha, you’ve done your homework. If you go somewhere alone, it’s nice to be able to spend time with others. So that was really good."

Are you disappointed you didn’t get to enjoy your Dutch champion’s jersey for long?

"I did think about that at one point, but you have to accept it. I’ve turned it into motivation to win that jersey again and enjoy it even more next time."

What’s your plan for the coming weeks?

"I’m heading back to Spain on Monday and hope to keep improving in the lead-up to the World Championships. I’ll be racing in Benidorm and then the double weekend with Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide to build some intensity."

There’s just one month left in this cyclo-cross season. What do you hope to achieve and show during that time?

"Staying healthy, above all. But I definitely hope to keep improving this season. Hopefully, I can turn my freshness into something great."

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