Thibau Nys won the Elite Men’s UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup round in Flamanville, attacking on the exposed château grassland at -8.7 km to go and holding a slender gap to the line. The Belgian champion extended his overall lead with a composed solo after surviving an early crash and dropped chain on the heavy, punchy circuit.
Elite Men Results
Flamanville • Nov 30
| Pos | Rider | NATNationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Thibau NYS | BEL | 1:03:01 |
| 🥈 | Lars VAN DER HAAR | NED | +0:03 |
| 🥉 | Cameron MASON | GBR | +0:05 |
| 4 | Niels VANDEPUTTE | BEL | +0:23 |
| 5 | Laurens SWEECK | BEL | +0:26 |
| 6 | Joris NIEUWENHUIS | NED | +0:32 |
| 7 | Michael VANTHOURENHOUT | BEL | +0:38 |
| 8 | Jente MICHELS | BEL | +0:49 |
| 9 | Emiel VERSTRYNGE | BEL | +1:12 |
| 10 | Victor VAN DE PUTTE | BEL | +1:23 |
| 11 | Mees HENDRIKX | NED | +1:24 |
| 12 | Toon AERTS | BEL | +1:26 |
| 13 | Ryan KAMP | NED | +1:31 |
| 14 | Toon VANDEBOSCH | BEL | +1:38 |
| 15 | Kevin KUHN | SUI | +1:49 |
| 16 | Andrew STROHMEYER | USA | +1:51 |
| 17 | Witse MEEUSSEN | BEL | +1:57 |
| 18 | Nathan BOMMENEL | FRA | +2:11 |
| 19 | Michael BOROŠ | CZE | +2:16 |
| 20 | Thomas MEIN | GBR | +2:28 |
| 21 | Rémi LELANDAIS | FRA | +2:44 |
| 22 | Martin GROSLAMBERT | FRA | +2:59 |
| 23 | Kevin SUAREZ FERNANDEZ | ESP | +3:04 |
| 24 | Bailey GROENENDAAL | DEN | +3:08 |
| 25 | Tristan VERRIER | FRA | +3:13 |
| 26 | Joran WYSEURE | BEL | +3:19 |
| 27 | Mario JUNQUERA SAN MILLAN | ESP | +3:25 |
| 28 | Quentin NAVARRO | FRA | +3:29 |
| 29 | Pim RONHAAR | NED | +3:43 |
| 30 | David MENUT | FRA | +3:48 |
| 31 | Hugo JOT | FRA | +3:52 |
| 32 | Matéo JOT | FRA | +4:04 |
| 33 | Danny VAN LIEROP | NED | +4:16 |
| 34 | Cyprien GILLES | FRA | +4:31 |
| 35 | Damien BETON | FRA | +4:54 |
| 36 | Lucas DUBAU | FRA | +5:12 |
| 37 | Timothé GABRIEL | FRA | +5:56 |
| 38 | Loris ROUILLER | SUI | - |
| 39 | Javier ZAERA GISBERT | ESP | - |
| 40 | Frederick JUNGE | USA | - |
Who shone
- Thibau Nys — Survived an early crash and dropped chain, then exploded clear at -8.7 km on the exposed grass, turning a chaotic race into controlled dominance.
- Lars van der Haar — Read wind and tempo perfectly, policing dangerous moves for Nys before winning the sprint for second to complete Baloise-Glowi Lions’ statement one‑two.
- Cameron Mason — Rode calmly in the lead group, matching accelerations on the short climbs and timing his final laps to secure a narrow but fully deserved podium.
Who misfired
- Joris Nieuwenhuis — Aggressive and technically sharp in the early phases, but a pedal mechanical three laps from the finish instantly erased a very real podium – and victory – chance.
- Niels Vandeputte — Present in the first selection yet couldn’t follow once Nys committed, fading out of the podium fight as the pace stayed relentlessly high.
Team of the day:
Baloise-Glowi Lions (A) — Controlled the front group from lap one, absorbed Nys’s hiccups, then used Van der Haar’s marking and sprint to convert pressure into a decisive 1–2.
Tactical timeline
- -24 km: Front group forms with Nys, Van der Haar, Nieuwenhuis, Vandeputte and Mason on the heavy château hillside.
- -18 km: Nys crashes and drops his chain, briefly losing contact before riding back as Van der Haar steadies the tempo.
- -8.7 km: Nieuwenhuis suffers a pedal issue as Nys accelerates on exposed grass, splitting the group and launching the winning solo.
- -0.5 km: Mason drives the chase, but Van der Haar opens his sprint early to secure second while Nys celebrates alone.
Race Analysis
This was less a clean procession and more proof of Nys’s resilience. He absorbed two race‑threatening incidents, never panicked, and repeatedly rode back into position before choosing his moment on the windiest sector. Nieuwenhuis’s misfortune removed the most equal rival, but Nys was already on the offensive, and Baloise’s numerical strength meant every hesitation behind was punished.
Compared with the scenarios outlined in our Flamanville preview, the race followed the script: a small elite group, high speed, and victory decided by one perfectly timed surge rather than mud‑heavy attrition.
Stats that mattered
- Race distance: ~29 km (10 laps of the 2.9 km Flamanville circuit).
- Winning time: 1:03:01 — average speed around 27.5 km/h on a heavy, punchy course.
- Winning margin: 3 s to Van der Haar, 5 s to Mason (tight gaps despite Nys riding the final ~15 minutes alone).
What it means
- Nys doubles up after Tábor and builds a significant World Cup buffer before Mathieu van der Poel’s expected return at Namur.
- Baloise-Glowi Lions confirm they have both the outright strongest rider and the deepest tactical block in this star‑thinned early season.
- For rivals like Nieuwenhuis and Vandeputte, the next hilly, more attritional rounds offer fewer excuses: they must convert good positions into results before the hierarchy hardens.
Cover image credit: Javier Martínez de la Puente/Zubiko/ SWpix.com
