Thibau Nys ran amok in Sunday’s freezing opening round of the 2025-2026 UCI CX World Cup in Tabor, Czechia, adding a win to his two X2O Badkamers Trofee triumphs this season. Nys led the eight-lap contest solo from Lap 2 onward. Canada’s Cameron Jette finished 43rd.
Last season Mathieu van der Poel triumphed in five of the 11 rounds (Cabras, Italy was cancelled due to high winds). Double stage victor Michael Vanthourenhout took the title, 40 points ahead of Toon Aerts. Eli Iserbyt, Niels Vandeputte, Nys and Wout van Aert also claimed rounds.
Cameron Jette was the lone Canadian representative on Sunday.
Kevin Kuhn and Lars van der Haar were quick off the line. Cameron Mason was immediately burdened with a mechanical. The string stayed long in the first half of the lap. Nys and Nieuwenhuis pushed to the front. This duo had a four-second buffer by the line. Jette was 42nd.
Emiel Verstrynge led the chase on Lap 2 and made contact. Nieuwenhuis crashed in a corner. Nys whipped up the pace and soon romped solo. The Belgian champion was nine seconds clear of Verstrynge, Nieuwenhuis and Vanthourenhout at the line. Jette was in 44th.
On Lap 3 of 8 Nys carried on his raid. Vanthourenhout tried to distance Nieuwenhuis and Verstrynge. Lap 4 saw Nys pour it on, and a fall from Verstynge put him on the back foot in the podium race that Jente Michels joined just before the line. Jette was 43rd.
American Andrew Strohmeyer was part of the trio that tagged onto the Vanthourenhout chase on Lap 5. Lars van der Haar and Laurens Sweeck were present as well. The septet was 37 seconds in arrears going into the next lap but missing Vanthourenhout and van der Haar, who crashed on the final corner.
Ryan Kamp replaced Vanthourenhout in the podium group as Nys began to lap riders. On the penultimate lap, Verstrynge, his teammate Sweeck, Nieuwenhuis and Michels comprised the group vying for the podium. Verstrynge hit the deck and delayed Nieuwenhuis. Sweeck acted as dynamo in the chase.
With Kamp and Verstrynge trying to link up on the bell lap, Sweeck kept pushing. Nieuwenhuis toiled to bring him back but had to be satisfied with third.
The next World Cup round is next Sunday in Flamanville, France.
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