Mighty Thibau Nys explains somersault: "In my head, I had already caught up with Wout and Mathieu"

A rollercoaster of a race, we must conclude. From the start of the cyclo-cross, Nys was alert and seemed to have secured a podium position, but a crash pushed him back somewhat. However, the Belgian did not give up, fought back, solely on determination, to the front, and eventually managed to snatch an impressive third place.

Nys, who gladly accepted the compliments, shared his thoughts: "I felt really good. I'm definitely very satisfied, but on the other hand, a bit disappointed too: I'm not saying more was possible, but I would have liked to fight for it. The crash made that impossible; recovering from it just took too much out of me."

What exactly happened there? "I slipped out of my pedal just when Wout and Mathieu were pushing really hard, so I had to drop back a bit. They slowed down, and I was able to catch up. In my head, I had already made the connection and I took a moment to breathe, but at that moment, I experienced a second of inattention, causing me to slide out with my front wheel. I went head over heels and had to readjust my gearing, which cost me a lot of time."

From the back, the sprightly Nys made his way back to the front. "Physically, I felt really good. It was just a pity to have to come back after that fall, and my knee did feel painful for a while, but it eventually eased off. I can't be disappointed, but it's just a shame. I would have really liked to compete a bit longer, because there still was a lot of power in me."

So, nearly four months later, he's back on the podium. Can we attribute this to a successful training camp? "Maybe a little, but not too much. It's just a matter of finding the right balance in everything. That's a learning process, some weeks go well and others less so. But I learn every day and there will come a day when everything falls into place."

One week good, the next less so: the quick thinker might then anticipate a good day in Tábor, where the World Championships will be held in two weeks. "Of course, I would sign up for that. Physically, I feel really good and everything just needs to click at once. I'm confident that I can perform really well there," concludes the amiable cyclist.