Thibau Nys may be focussed on the cyclocross season now but the 21-year-old's road ambitions aren't fading far into the background, with Lidl-Trek announcing that the versatile rider has signed on for another three years with the WorldTour team.
The under 23 cyclocross world champion was with the Baloise Trek Lions on the dirt before joining Trek on the road as well, first as a trainee in 2022 and then becoming a part of the WorldTour squad in 2023.
“I think it’s the year that I learned the most about myself and about racing, training and recovery," said Nys in a team media statement. "Racing with some really big names helped me to gain more experience and it’s something that will help me in the next years also.”
The Belgian is now committed to Lidl-Trek through till the end of 2026, and has also extended with the Baloise Trek Lions, where he is charging to the front in his first season in the elite cyclocross ranks. After shifting up to the category early, Nys quickly scored his first elite Cyclo-cross World Cup win at Waterloo last month. He then quickly added another victory to the results sheet in tough conditions at Koppenbergcross, where his father Sven Nys holds the record for the most wins, with a tally of nine.
The benefits of a cyclocross background have become increasingly difficult to overlook ever since Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert made their presence felt on the WorldTour, with many top teams containing riders with a split discipline calendar.
"To see him turn pro on the road with us and perform as soon as pulled on the jersey has been particularly pleasing," said Lidl-Trek General Manager Luca Guercilena. "Thibau’s strength is his versatility – he can win on a variety of terrains and his fast sprint is a great card to play after a hard race."
In his first full season on the road Nys scooped up two wins – a stage of the Tour of Norway and another victory on a rising finish at the GP Kantons Aargau in Switzerland. He also hit the podium numerous times, including a second in stage 1 of the Tour de Romandie.
“There were some ups and downs, and I’ll try to get rid of the downs in the next seasons as much as possible,” said Nys. “I’ll take it step by step as I grow, and hopefully I can win more races in the future. I want to level up my game, ride bigger races and become more consistent in my results. The bottom line is I want to win more races!”
