Thibau Nys set for Tour de France debut in 2025 as ideal Grand Tour fit

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Thibau Nys, the multi-discipline rider in the midst of a cyclocross season, is gearing up for a thrilling 2024. He is set to make his Grand Tour debut with Lidl-Trek, with the choice between the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espaรฑa yet to be decided. As he approaches a pivotal moment in the cyclocross calendar with the World Championships in Liรฉvin on 2nd February, Nys appears to be in peak form. However, a rapid transition awaits him, as he begins his road campaign in April.

The young Belgian, who had a successful nine-win season last year, shared his ambitious plans for 2025 during Lidl-Trek’s January training camp. He aims to build on his achievements by participating in notable races following his brief post-championship break. “In two weeks, the cyclocross World Championships are coming, and then Iโ€™ll take a break of around one week before I start building up again and ride my first road race at the GP Indurain,” he mentioned to media, including Cyclingnews. “Then Iโ€™ll go to Itzulia Basque country, and I will have Amstel Gold Race, Flรจche Wallonne, maybe Liรจge-Bastogne-Liรจge and then Eschborn-Frankfurt.”

Lidl-Trek’s lead sport director, Steven de Jongh, believes that Nys is well-suited for the Tour, particularly with several challenging finishes like the Mรปr-de-Bretagne in the first week. “2025 was the year that we always planned for him to do his first Grand Tour,” De Jongh told Cyclingnews. “If we look at all things in place, I think the Tour would fit him best, to be honest.”

In 2024, Nys demonstrated remarkable skill on the road, achieving nine victories from 34 race days, including five at the WorldTour level. His success rate was only surpassed by the exceptional Tadej Pogaฤar, with his historic Triple Crown campaign. Nys’ achievements were a pleasant surprise to many, given his strong cyclocross background and his lineage as the son of two-time cyclocross world champion, Sven Nys. “He surprised everybody, including us, no? And himself as well. It was amazing to see, and also, he put a lot of pressure on himself on those days,” said De Jongh.

Nys has expressed his commitment to improving his consistency and learning from the past year. “Iโ€™m still figuring out myself,” Nys admitted. “I think we will really step up the game this year, riding bigger races on a higher level, races that suit me, and now itโ€™s just about trying to show everything I did last season.”

With Jonathan Milan leading Lidl-Trek at the Tour, targeting sprint stages and the green jersey, Nys could seamlessly fit into Milanโ€™s lead-out train, while also focusing on stages more suited to climbers. Meanwhile, Mattias Skjelmose will ride with the general classification in mind, supported by the team.

After the Ardennes campaign and heading towards Frankfurt, Nys will continue to prepare at altitude. Despite his impressive track record, he remains grounded, acknowledging the need for growth. “Now I have to bring it over to the big races and try to be ready to win over there, which will not be an easy step.” Nonetheless, with his talent and determination, he is a rider to watch closely in the coming years.