Koppenbergcross: European champion Thibau Nys solos to victory in first cyclocross race of his season

Nys pulled away on the second lap, with British champion Cameron Mason (Seven Racing) briefly on his wheel, and then went solo before waving to fans on the iconic Koppenberg climb and raising his arms in victory, his second on the climb after his 2023 win.

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Mason, finishing with a broken shoe sustained in a fall at the end of lap 4, claimed second, crossing the line 21 seconds later. Further back, Belgian Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Glowi Lions) came in at 1:44 down to round out the podium.

Riding cautiously in the top 15 position at the start, with multiple riders taking the front to set the pace, Nys slowly moved up to the top three by the end of the first lap. A lap that saw Toon Aerts (Deschacht -Hens-CX Team) slip out on the muddy off-camber course, and Ronhaar led a small group with Nys, Mason and Jente Michels (Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team) with a 10-second lead on chasers Victor Van de Putte (Deschacht -Hens-CX Team), Emiel Verstrynge (Crelan-Corendon), and Aerts.

Mason and Nys pulled away before Nys continued on solo, often looking behind him as Mason kept on applying pressure. With four laps to go, Nys had 10 seconds on Mason, chased by Ronhaar, and Michels together, followed by Aerts. Michels dropped his chain on the climb at the end of the lap and was forced to walk up to the pit to get a new bike.

With three laps to go, Nys held an 18-second advantage over Mason, who had crashed on an off-camber section and slid into a wooden post. The Briton quickly remounted, but the impact had broken a closure on his shoe.

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One lap later, Nys extended his lead to 25 seconds over Mason, while Ronhaar trailed by 51 seconds, Van de Putte by 1:27, and Aerts by 1:31. As Mason entered the pit, he shook his head toward his mechanics, probably declining a shoe change, as he grabbed a clean bike and pushed on.

The situation remained the same on the sixth and final lap, as Nys had plenty of time to celebrate his victory.