Thibau Nys reassures cyclo-cross fans after "huge crash" and battered body in Hamme: "I got catapulted"

Niels Vandeputte won his first cyclo-cross race of the season, and Felipe Orts surprisingly finished third in Hamme, Belgium, but after the race, most people were gathered by Thibau Nys’s team bus. The European champion seemed to be in the fight for victory, just as he had been on Saturday in Merksplas, but after making a mistake and finishing fourth the day before, Sunday brought a very hard crash. IDLProCycling.com got the first update at the team bus.

Thibau, what exactly happened?

"Well, at the time of the crash, the fight for the win was already over for me. I had to let go a bit and got slightly off track, and I think I hit a pole with my pedal or handlebars, which catapulted me. It was a huge crash. It’s not too bad overall, but I did hit the ground at 35 to 40 km/h, which is a blow I didn’t see coming."

You were quite banged up at the finish, did you seriously injure yourself?

"It’s not too bad. My neck is a bit stiff, and I have trouble moving my knee, but all in all, it’s not too severe."

Are there going to be any further medical checks?

"I’ll visit the physio, do some easy cycling, and then it should be fine."

The moment Thibau Nys crashes in the finale...

Thibau Nys says his best form was already gone

Did you feel up until that crash that you still had a chance to win?

"I did feel that way, although I didn’t have the same legs I had in Merksplas, the kind of legs I needed to seal the deal. If you make mistakes like that in the final lap and you’re not right on the wheel, it’s a sign that your best form is already slipping a bit. You can look for answers in the details, but if I had the legs, I would have done something. I’m less disappointed than yesterday when I really felt like I missed out on something. I feel that way today too, but with a different mindset. The strongest and smartest rider won the race, but it’s a shame. It’s been two days where I performed at a very high level, but I’m going home without a win."

Was it a tactically difficult race? No one really managed to break away...

"I think I handled it a bit wrong. It was a race where you really had to push 101 percent to break away. I never really did that. I kept it at 95 percent to save something left for later. At 95 percent, the rest can still hang on, while you’re killing yourself a bit without achieving real results. That wasn’t very smart. What Niels did was much better. I entered the final lap feeling like I could still win, but technically it wasn’t my best race, and I couldn’t make up for that physically."

Thibau Nys looked quite battered after the finish

Why didn't Nys go all-in after Merksplas?

In Merksplas, you mentioned being passive, and now you talk about 95 percent. Did you ever think about going all-in at 110 percent?

"Phew, in that final lap. But I didn’t really get there because my best form had already slipped a bit. I made technical mistakes because I was at my limit. Then you just have to admit that the others were better."

Did you sleep well last night? Were you driven today?

"Yes, I slept well and was just very eager to race again today. I’m already looking forward to next weekend."

Only Antwerp, right? So you’re not worried physically?

"No, not at all! I just want to win a race as soon as possible, and I think my condition is certainly good. It’s just a shame not to come home with a win after two days where you felt great. It’s unlike me to go into the final lap and then let it slip, but it’s not the end of the world. I just really wanted to win."

Thibau Nys enters with a pained expression

Winter is coming, but no double weekends

Rain and cold are expected in Antwerp in a week. Are you looking forward to that?

"Well, not really. It’s a shame because you can train less during the week. In Antwerp, the weather usually doesn’t matter that much."

How do you look back on your first double cyclo-cross weekend?

"I didn’t have the legs today that I had on Saturday, but I wasn’t any worse than the others either. Form-wise, I was among the better ones in the race, but not super fresh. The cold at the start affected my legs a bit. They were stiffer than during the warm-up. That’s undoubtedly because of the day before, but otherwise, I felt good. I’ve always said I don’t need to win every race. It’s a shame that it didn’t happen this time, but I’m present in every race, competing for the win, and I’m satisfied with that. Hopefully, I can get one in the coming weeks."

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