Thibau Nys behaves like a superstar in waiting. Two days before his debut at the Tour de France, the 22-year-old Belgian rider is speaking to the media with a natural swagger. His eyes are hidden behind dark sunglasses – which don’t come off for the entirety of the press conference – and his tattooed arm stands out in the sunlight. It’s a huge moment in the Lidl-Trek man’s career. In many ways, Nys taking to the start of the biggest bike race in the world seems like a sort of destiny. Bike riding is in his blood. He was born for this.
“I watched the Tour in 2016 by the roadside when Froome went running up Ventoux. I remember as a kid when I was way younger riding my bike in a green jersey because Tom Boonen was in green at the time,” he smiles. “I knew from a young age that this was the biggest stage, but I never really knew if I’d be doing this. It’s gone fast from that point and now we’re here.”
The rainbow jersey as a junior at the cyclo-cross Worlds, the U23 European Road Race championship, the elite European cyclo-cross title last year, the fifth place in his first Monument on the road with Lidl-Trek earlier this season, the stage wins in the Tour of Poland, Suisse, Hungary, Norway and Romandie have all been part of the glittering journey to this point. Guided by his father Sven, a two-time cyclo-cross world champion and seven-time World Cup winner, Thibau was always expected to be good – it’s in his genes. So far, he has been living up to expectations.
Image: Getty/David Pintens
But with such success comes the inevitable pressure. Ahead of his Tour debut and an opening week with punchy stages that should suit the Belgian perfectly, Nys is playing things down.
“I’m not as confident as I’d like to be two days before the Tour,” he admits. “It’s been quite a difficult period with a hard crash in altitude camp then I started to feel better again. I did a nice race in GP Gippingen but then I got sick in the Tour of Belgium, which was mentally not ideal. We’ve done everything in our power to be ready and I know there are chances in that opening week, but it will be crazy and hectic.”
Nys pinpoints stages six and seven as ones where he thinks he could try his luck, but ”only if the shape is there”, the Belgian hastens to add. He’s not afraid to say that he wants a stage win, but doesn’t shy away from the difficult reality of making that happen. Nys knows, as part of this…