Thibau Nys wins X²O Trophy Hamme-Zogge 2026 after dramatic four-rider sprint

Thibau Nys won the 2026 X²O Trophy Hamme-Zogge with a powerful final-lap ride, beating Niels Vandeputte and Michael Vanthourenhout in a four-way sprint at the Bollekescross. Racing for the first time in his newly won European champion’s jersey, Nys took his third victory from three cyclocross starts this season.

The leading trio were given the same time of 1:00:55, with Joran Wyseure fourth at one second. It was a close finish to a fast, tactical race in which a large leading group remained intact well into the second half and a series of attacks failed to create lasting gaps. Nys waited until the final lap to make the decisive move, then defended his position through the last turns.

Vandeputte, who had won the previous day’s Superprestige at Merksplas, surged into second just before the line, while Vanthourenhout completed the podium despite the heavy crash that had ended his race on Saturday. Nys’s win also protected his overall lead in the time-based X²O Trophy.

How it unfolded

The race returned to the traditional Hamme-Zogge course, which had last hosted the Flandriencross in 2013. Although the circuit included a constructed hill, technical turns and narrow sections, the ground was dry and fast enough to keep riders in contact rather than producing the long gaps seen in muddier races.

Mees Hendrikx was quickest away as Nys, Vandeputte, Wyseure and the other favourites settled into the peloton. Gerben Kuypers and Vanthourenhout briefly accelerated in the early laps, but neither was able to stay away. A fast race was emerging, with riders repeatedly losing a few positions on one part of the circuit and regaining them on the next.

After four laps, approximately 25 riders were still together or close enough to contest the front. That made Hamme an unusual challenge for the leading contenders: strength mattered, but positioning before the narrow sections and the ability to move past rivals could determine whether an attack was worth following.

Nieuwenhuis and Wyseure begin to stretch the group

Vandeputte spent much of the middle of the race close to the front, carrying the confidence of his Saturday victory into another contest. Joris Nieuwenhuis finally made one of the first serious accelerations on lap six, attempting to separate himself as Vanthourenhout moved forward to follow.

The Dutch rider could not maintain a decisive gap. Wyseure then took over with around three laps remaining, repeatedly lifting the pace and stretching the group into a line through the bends. His effort reduced the number of realistic contenders, but it did not break the resistance of Nys, who had been relatively quiet through the early stages.

The European champion moved through the group as the pressure grew, advancing from around eighth position into the leading three. Rather than trying to control every lap, Nys had preserved an opportunity to attack when the race was finally narrow enough for one change of position to become decisive.

Eight riders contest the final lap

Eight riders began the final circuit with a chance of winning. Wyseure and Vanthourenhout disputed the front positions, while Vandeputte remained close enough to repeat his previous day’s finishing success. Nys was also there, but still had to find a way past rivals who had already shown they could match the pace.

He moved to the front before the narrow single-track section, where passing became difficult. The change of position forced the others to follow his line rather than choose their own, and Nys accelerated to build the small advantage that shaped the final minutes.

The move was not perfectly executed. Nys made small mistakes and briefly slipped on the final lap, allowing the others to remain within striking distance. Vanthourenhout and Wyseure fought for his wheel, with Vandeputte following closely. The front became a four-rider contest rather than a solo escape.

Nys nevertheless managed to carry the lead into the last corner. On a circuit where his rivals had repeatedly closed gaps on the quicker sections, entering the final straight in front was the most valuable position he could secure.

Nys holds off Vandeputte in a four-way sprint

The European champion launched his sprint from the front. He initially began to celebrate, then checked over his shoulder and accelerated again as the chasers closed rapidly. Vandeputte came through strongly to take second, narrowly ahead of Vanthourenhout, but neither could come past Nys before the line.

Wyseure crossed fourth one second behind. Kuypers finished fifth at seven seconds, followed by Jente Michels and Nieuwenhuis, both eight seconds down. Felipe Orts Lloret was eighth at 16 seconds, Kevin Kuhn ninth at 23 and Ryan Kamp tenth at 27.

Only a handful of seconds separated the top seven after more than an hour of racing. The small gaps were the product of the course and the tactical finale, rather than any lack of attacking. Wyseure and Nieuwenhuis had both tried to force selections; Nys simply timed his intervention for the point where a narrow lead could be defended.

European champion extends his unbeaten start

Hamme was Nys’s first cyclocross race since winning the European title at Zeddam on 7 November. He had skipped the intervening Superprestige races at Niel and Merksplas, which left him fresher but also meant his rivals had spent the previous week sharpening their race speed against one another.

The performance showed why that distinction was not straightforward. Nys was forced to work hard against a large group and could not simply accelerate clear at will. He had to move forwards carefully, anticipate the importance of the single-track section and then sprint after a final-lap mistake almost brought the challengers back past him.

The result maintained his unbeaten start to the 2026–27 season and added to his advantage in the X²O Trophy, a series measured by accumulated time. Behind him, Vandeputte’s second place confirmed his strong weekend, while Vanthourenhout’s podium represented a rapid return after the previous day’s crash.

X²O Trophy Hamme-Zogge men 2026 result