Nys claims third World Cup victory of his career
Thibau Nys was untouchable in Tábor. The Belgian champion dominated the opening round of the season, securing the third World Cup win of his career. Sweeck finished second in the Czech Republic, ahead of Nieuwenhuis in third.
The course changed constantly throughout the day. At the start of the men’s race, riders had to quickly adapt to the slippery sections where the sun had affected the surface. Nys (Baloise Glowi Lions), however, seemed perfectly at ease on the Czech circuit. At the end of the opening lap, he accelerated, taking European champion Nieuwenhuis (Ridley Racing Team) with him.
It was clear from the first lap that Nys was in superb form. He soon dropped Nieuwenhuis and began steadily extending his lead. By the end of lap two, out of a total of eight, the Belgian champion had a 10-second advantage over Verstrynge (Crelan-Corendon), Nieuwenhuis, and Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen – Altez Industriebouw Cycling Team).
As Nys continued to build his lead lap after lap, Michels (Alpecin–Deceuninck Development Team) bridged across to the chasing group. Sweeck (Crelan–Corendon), Van der Haar (Baloise Glowi Lions) and Strohmeyer (CXD Trek Bikes) also made their way back from further behind, forming a larger chase group behind the lone leader.
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At the end of lap five, Vanthourenhout slipped on the final straight. He was able to continue but lost several positions, and the chasing group fragmented. Nieuwenhuis, Michels, Verstrynge, and later Sweeck were the first to trail, 36 seconds behind the leader.
In the penultimate lap, Verstrynge also fell, ending his chances of a podium finish. Among the chasers, Sweeck proved strongest and entered the final lap in second position with a small gap, managing to hold it to the finish. Nieuwenhuis secured third place.
But all of that was after the day’s dominant performance. Nys claimed his third ever World Cup victory and immediately became the first leader of the new season.
