Wellens sees smart trick Nys and makes short work of UCI: "This should never have been approved"

Bart Wellens in Het Nieuwsblad is hard on the organization of the Belgian Cross. "I would like to discuss combining the Koppenberg on Friday and the European Championship in the Spanish Pontevedra on Sunday next weekend. It's a shame they don't think about the people beside the riders. The rider boards the plane on Saturday and is in his hotel a few hours later. But in the meantime, the entourage has to make sure the equipment gets there. From the Koppenberg to Pontevedra, that's two thousand kilometers."

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Especially the people surrounding the riders will consequently face a heavy weekend. "They can't afford to rest because otherwise they won't be at the cross in time," Wellens continued, criticizing the cross's organizers. "The UCI should never have allowed this. They are now creating a dangerous situation for the riders' entourage. Yet the solution was obvious. Why couldn't the Koppenberg, for once, be organized on another date, Wednesday, for example? It's a vacation week, and an audience will always be there. The Koppenberg should have compromised for once, and the International Cycling Union should never have approved this calendar."

Then, back to the races themselves. Wellens sees a brilliant Thibau Nys. "Write it down: this Thibau is the clear favorite to win Friday at the Koppenberg, a race he already won last year with ease. I also think they used that illness to keep the pressure off, which is smart. That way, he wouldn't have to be at his peak in those first races either. But his base was good; otherwise, there would have been no resurrection," the analyst said.