Thibau Nys may be a Tour de France debutant, but the 22-year-old Belgian is arriving with a clear agenda: stage hunting. Speaking to Het Laatste Nieuws during the Baloise Belgium Tour, Nys identified four specific days in the opening week where he believes the profile suits him – stages 2, 4, 6 and 7 – and is eager to take his chances.
Nys was forced to abandon the Belgium Tour due to illness, but his coach Paul van den Bosch insists the setback hasn’t derailed his preparations. “That illness is far from ideal, but I wouldn’t call it a setback,” he told Belgian media, pointing to the rider’s good underlying form and the fact that all the key training had already been completed.
The uphill-finishing specialist singled out Boulogne-sur-Mer (stage 2), Rouen (stage 4), Vire-Normandie (stage 6) and the summit finish at Mûr-de-Bretagne (stage 7) as the stages where he sees a chance to make an impact. “That’s on paper, though,” he told HLN. “It depends on so many factors. How is the race going? Will a breakaway stick? How do I feel…?”
Nys said his overall goal for the race is not simply a result. “I don’t want to disappoint myself and especially not the team,” he said. “Apart from my form and a possible stage win, I am curious about the answer to the question: ‘Can I maintain myself at the highest level?’”
He also downplayed the idea of any conflict with teammate Jonathan Milan, who will be leading Lidl-Trek’s sprint efforts. “Given Milan’s lack of aptitude on short climbs and my own lack of sprinting ability, there’s no issue. We’re not targeting the same stages,” Nys said.
That same lack of top-end speed also means the green jersey is not a goal. In the second half of the Tour, Nys is likely to shift focus to team duties in support of GC rider Mattias Skjelmose, who is coming into form after winning the Andorra Clàssica.
Nys was honest about the learning curve ahead. He acknowledged that his positioning skills could be a liability in the opening week. “In races like Liège-Bastogne-Liège, I could just ride fast on La Redoute or Rosier and boom, I was there. That won’t work in the Tour,” he said. “Being able to rely on guys like Jasper [Stuyven] and Eddy [Theuns] is a blessing. They’re among the best in the world when it comes to race tactics and positioning.”
With humour, he added: “I’ve already been scared and warned by everyone about what it’s going to be like…”
