CX World Cup starts with victories for Thibaut Nys and Fem van Empel

The CX World Cup calendar kicks off with the arrival on the scene of one of the great promises of this sport who was already showing signs of talent in the race held in Waterloo, next to the Trek facilities in the small North American town. We are talking about none other than Thibaut Nys, son of mud legend Sven Nys.

Thybaut Nys is already a cyclo-cross reality

At just 20 years of age, Thybaut Nys continues to burn stages on his way to stardom and, in his World Cup debut in the Elite category, he has even managed to improve on the achievements of his father, the great Sven Nys, achieving his first absolute victory, which adds to the triumph achieved the previous weekend in the race that also kicked off the Exact Cross championship in Beringen.

Once again Waterloo, with the now usual American tour, was the race to break the fire of the Cyclo-cross World Cup on the very fast circuit laid out next to Trek's headquarters. However, the rains of the previous week seemed to announce that we might see a different race to the typical one on this normally dry course, but in the end, although the ground was soft, it was not soft enough to be decisive in the outcome.

A race that, as has also become usual in recent years in the World Cup, did not have the presence of the big bosses of the category: Van der Poel, Van Aert and Pidcock and in which the Iserbyt, Vanthourenhout, Van der Haar and company were planning to start to gain a good cushion of points before the aliens make their appearance on the scene.

However, none of them had counted on the irruption of what could be the next monster of the category and who, at the very first moment of change, has confirmed everything he had been pointing out in U23 and Junior. He is none other than Thibaut Nys, who in Waterloo gave us a tremendous demonstration of technique and mastery of the bike, as well as legs against which Eli Iserbyt, who showed the usual good form that he usually shows in these first races and who was damaged by a problem in one of his shoes that forced him to go to the pits to replace it.

In any case, Iserbyt managed to finish in second place just 16 seconds behind Thibaut Nys, avoiding the complete party of the Trek-Baloise riders who took 4 of the 5 first places in the Waterloo race.

Meanwhile, in the women's category, Fem van Empel continues to impose her law although after a tough fight with another of the queens of the mud as Puck Pieterse, who a week ago certified her victory in the overall XCO World Cup and now, without a break, is immersed in her favourite speciality. In fact, it is possible that this lack of freshness had something to do with the fact that little by little, the reigning world champion Fem van Empel was showing her strength to end up achieving a comfortable victory in this first round of the CX World Cup.

Elite Men's Classification

1. Thibaut Nys (Baloise Trek Lions) 56’59’’
2. Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) +16’’
3. Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Trek Lions) +41’’
4. Joris Nieuwenhuis (Baloise Trek Lions) +57’’
5. Lars van der Haar (Baloise Trek Lions) +1’09’’
6. Michael Van Thourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) +1’36’’
7. Ryan Kamp (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) +1’45’’
8. Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck) +2’03’’
9. Witse Meeussen (Crelan-Corendon) +2’08’’
10. Toon Vandebosch (Crelan-Corendon) +2’23’’

Elite Women's Classification

1. Fem van Empel (Jumbo-Visma) 48’31’’
2. Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) +36’’
3. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Deceuninck) +1’51’’
4. Maghalie Rochette +2’04’’
5. Zoe Backstedt +2’22’’
6. Manon Bakker (Crelan-Corendon) +2’33’’
7. Clara Honsinger +2’59’’
8. Isabella Holmgreen +3’15’’
9. Leonie Bentveld (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) +3’49’’
10. Caroline Mani +4’13’’