Thibau Nys powered away from Joran Wyseure on the final lap of a heavy, slippery course in Zeddam, Netherlands, securing his second elite men’s title at the UEC Cyclo-cross European Championships on Sunday, November 8, 2026, as Belgium locked out the entire podium.
Riders like Kevin Kuhn and Cameron Mason faced challenges on the 2.97-kilometer course’s 99-step staircase.
Cyclingnews reported that the 34 riders faced an updated 2.97-kilometer course featuring a revamped staircase with 99 steps and a 60-meter rider bridge. With Belgium fielding eight riders and the Netherlands five, both squads traded early blows on the heavy mud. Switzerland’s Kevin Kuhn took the early holeshot, while Spain’s Felipe Orts assumed pacing duties on the second lap.
The tactical stalemate broke when Nys launched an acceleration on an off-camber section leading into the stairs. Kuhn reacted immediately, dragging Wyseure in his slipstream for a free ride. By lap four, Nys carved out a four-second advantage before Wyseure bridged across to rejoin his compatriot.
Nys maintained constant pressure as the race entered its closing stages. Coming into the ninth and final lap, Nys glanced back at a 12-second gap before launching the decisive attack that dropped Wyseure for good. Wyseure crossed seven seconds later to claim silver, improving on his third-place finish from the previous year, while Niels Vandeputte won the sprint from a four-rider chase group to take bronze.
🇪🇺 Cyclocross European Championships 2026 🗓️ Sunday, November 8th End of lap 4️⃣ and #ThibauNys made his move! @UEC_cycling #EuroCross26 #Zeddam2026 #Zeddam #Netherlands #Cyclocross #Veldrijden pic.twitter.com/bTJ5Z5cI9R
A tough one. I think it was a hard and a really nice battle with Joran,
Nys said, according to Cyclingnews. He was super strong and it was really difficult to get rid of each other, so I felt halfway through the race that it will be a big explosion in the last lap.
Reflecting on the grueling nature of the circuit, Nys noted the tactical difficulties of forcing a split. It is, I mean, it is quite hard, but on the other hand, it’s quite difficult to make a gap,
Nys told Cyclingnews.
And especially when you have to pull in the front on the section on the road on the finish line, it takes away a lot of energy, and it was a bit of a gamble over there.
With the European jersey secured, Nys immediately shifted his focus toward the upcoming calendar. There is a lot more to come,
Nys stated, as reported by Cyclingnews. For me, every race is just as important as another one, and next week is just as important as today’s the European Championships. So yeah, I will try to let the jersey shine.
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