{"id":243053,"date":"2025-11-04T09:43:21","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T09:43:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/243053\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T09:43:21","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T09:43:21","slug":"eurotrash-thibau-nys-ducks-disaster-at-koppenbergcross","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/243053\/","title":{"rendered":"EUROTRASH: Thibau Nys Ducks Disaster at Koppenbergcross"},"content":{"rendered":"

This Monday\u2019s cycling news roundup covers the cyclocross triumphs and tribulations of Thibau Nys, plus Jonathan Milan\u2019s sprint victory at the Singapore Criterium, and Portuguese legend Rui Costa\u2019s retirement at 39. Transfer news includes Biniam Girmay\u2019s uncertain future, while Rory Townsend joins Unibet Rose Rockets. All that and more \u2014 as we already start counting the days to Strade Bianche.<\/p>\n

TOP STORY:\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\nEuroCross this Weekend: Dual-Threat Nys Saturday, Cross Purist Nieuwenhuis Sunday<\/p>\n

RACE NEWS<\/p>\n

Milan Sprints to Victory at Tour de France EFGH Singapore Criterium<\/p>\n

RIDER & TEAM NEWS<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n2013 World Champ Costa Retires from Cycling
\nGirmay\u2019s Future Unclear
\nADAC Cyclassics Winner Townsend Signs with Unibet Rose Rockets
\nNew Movistar Partnership Seeks to Develop Singaporean Cyclists
\nAnother UCI Suspension<\/p>\n

\"TOP<\/p>\n

EuroCross this Weekend: Dual-Threat Nys Saturday, Cross Purist Nieuwenhuis Sunday<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> <\/p>\n

The PEZ team\u2019s plan Saturday afternoon was to trumpet Thibau Nys as cyclocross\u2019 next talent rocket \u2014 a potential solution to Mathieu van der Poel\u2019s domination. Like MVDP, Nys leverages a year-round approach, and after a breakout road season that included a fifth-place finish at Li\u00e8ge\u2013Bastogne\u2013Li\u00e8ge, he was perched to vie for cross\u2019 top step \u2014 as evidenced by his van der Poel-like win at Koppenbergcross, where he pulled away early and soloed to a seemingly easy win.<\/p>\n

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Nys\u2019 performance Sunday, however, foiled that plan.<\/p>\n

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Not that one race replete with mechanical issues and subsequent crashes has us doubting Nys entirely; such mishaps happen to the best of them. But when they do happen to the best \u2014 to van der Poel \u2014 he recovers, almost every time.<\/p>\n

Instead of Nys, who rides for Lidl-Trek in the spring and summer but Baloise Glowi Lions in \u2018cross season, Sunday\u2019s winner was Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ridley Racing Team), who has earned limited palmares on the road.<\/p>\n

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The Dutch rider outlasted rivals including Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauces \u2013 Altez Industrial Construction), Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team) and Emiel Verstrynge (Crelan \u2013 Corendon), avoiding all but the slightest slide of the wheels.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Vanthourenhout stayed upright and finished second Sunday.<\/p>\n

But Nieuwenhuis didn\u2019t just manage to remain upright: He rode away from his rivals powerfully, much like Nys did Saturday. A few weeks into the cyclocross season, then, no rider has assumed a position of dominance. Unless someone does begin to ride at a new level by the entry of van Aert and van der Poel \u2014 sometime around Christmas, in all likelihood \u2014 we can expect more of the same.<\/p>\n

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\nRACE NEWS<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"tdf<\/p>\n

Milan Sprints to Victory at Tour de France EFGH Singapore Criterium<\/p>\n

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Italy\u2019s Jonathan Milan capped his breakout season with a powerful sprint victory at the Tour de France EFGH Singapore Criterium, outsprinting Biniam Girmay and Jasper Philipsen along the Marina Bay waterfront. The Italian, winner of this year\u2019s Tour de France points classification, proved once again why he\u2019s among cycling\u2019s elite finishers.<\/p>\n

The day began in festive fashion, with amateur riders testing their mettle on the same downtown circuit used by the pros. Men\u2019s, women\u2019s, duo, and even folding-bike races set the tone under steamy tropical skies. A sudden storm forced organizers to cancel the planned team time trial, but the criterium went ahead as scheduled.<\/p>\n

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Once the pro race began, a series of attacks animated the hour-long event. Ben Healy launched the day\u2019s most daring move, joined by Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d and Tim Wellens, but the peloton caught them on the final laps. Milan timed his effort perfectly in the long sprint through Esplanade Park, claiming victory ahead of Girmay and Philipsen.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was my penultimate race of the season, and I\u2019m happy to finish on a high note,\u201d Milan said, praising teammates Carlos Verona, Hector Alvarez, and Edward Theuns for their support.<\/p>\n

RIDER & TEAM NEWS<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

2013 World Champ Costa Retires from Cycling<\/p>\n

\"vuelta23<\/p>\n

Portuguese cycling legend Rui Costa has announced his retirement from professional cycling at age 39, bringing to a close a remarkable career spanning nearly two decades. The announcement came Friday through a heartfelt message on social media,\u00a0where Costa reflected on a journey that made him Portugal\u2019s most decorated road cyclist.<\/p>\n

Costa\u2019s crowning achievement came in 2013 when he became the first Portuguese rider to win the UCI Road World Championships, claiming the rainbow jersey in Florence. His palmares also includes three consecutive Tour de Suisse titles from 2012 to 2014, three Tour de France stage victories, and a Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a stage win in 2023.<\/p>\n

Throughout his career, Costa amassed 33 professional victories, with 16 coming at World Tour level. Starting at Benfica in 2007, he raced for prestigious teams including Movistar, Lampre-Merida, UAE Team Emirates, Intermarch\u00e9, and most recently EF Education-EasyPost.<\/p>\n

In his retirement message, Costa expressed gratitude for living his dream and looked forward to spending more time with family, though he emphasized his passion for cycling will never end.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Girmay\u2019s Future Unclear<\/p>\n

\"Girmay<\/p>\n

Biniam Girmay has broken his silence about his future with Intermarch\u00e9-Wanty, revealing that his departure from the team appears increasingly likely. Speaking before the start of the EFGH Singapore Criterium, the Eritrean sprinter suggested he will not be racing for the merged Lotto-Intermarch\u00e9 squad next season.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe chance that I\u2019ll stay with the team was initially 50-50, but now I\u2019m almost certain that won\u2019t happen,\u201d Girmay said.<\/p>\n

The situation stems from Intermarch\u00e9-Wanty\u2019s absence from the provisional UCI list of WorldTour license applications for the upcoming season. While Lotto submitted the necessary documents on time \u2014 apparently as a joint application with their Belgian counterparts \u2014 Intermarch\u00e9-Wanty failed to register.<\/p>\n

Under UCI regulations, this failure to register means riders are permitted to terminate their contracts early, potentially clearing the path for the team\u2019s star sprinter to move elsewhere. However, Girmay\u2019s contract is governed by Belgian labor law, which presents a different legal perspective on early termination.<\/p>\n

Girmay has been linked to Premier-Tech for some time, with reports suggesting a verbal agreement between the two parties already exists.<\/p>\n

Despite the speculation, the 2024 Green Jersey winner emphasized that his situation remains unresolved. \u201cIt\u2019s not the right time to talk about it, as it\u2019s not solely my decision,\u201d he explained, referencing his impending departure from Intermarch\u00e9-Wanty.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still talking to some good teams, but for now it\u2019s just talk. I can\u2019t do anything without knowing what my current team is planning. I also don\u2019t know at this point whether I\u2019m free to sign for another team. Nothing has been signed yet, nothing is on paper,\u201d Girmay conclude.\u00a0(Copy credit for this article to Wielerflits<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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ADAC Cyclassics Winner Townsend Signs with Unibet Rose Rockets<\/p>\n

\"Holy<\/p>\n

Upstart team Unibet Rose Rockets has signed its third World Tour race winner, ADAC Cyclassics victor Rory Townsend.<\/p>\n

Following the additions of sprinter Dylan Groenewegen and grimpeur Wout Poels, the Dutch team has added the Irish \u201chard man\u201d, who bested Arnaud De Lie and Paul Magnier at Cyclassics last spring.<\/p>\n

The two-time Irish road champion has ridden for New Zealand\u2019s Bolton Equities Black Spoke Pro Cycling in 2023, moving up to Q36.5 in 2024. Unibet Rose Rockets has explicitly stated their hope of nabbing a Grand Tour invitation in 2026; Townsend\u2019s signing should add fodder to their campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n

eTrashMike sez: Is anyone else noticing an Irish cycling renaissance? Ben Healy, of course, but Eddie Dunbar rode exceptionally well last year; Townsend beat some of the world\u2019s top one-day riders at a second-tier classic \u2014 even Sam Bennett just signed with Q36.5. \u00c9irinn go Br\u00e1ch!<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Movistar<\/p>\n

New Movistar Partnership Seeks to Develop Singaporean Cyclists<\/p>\n

Movistar Team has launched a new partnership to recruit and train top cyclists from Singapore at the team\u2019s high-performance center based in Spain.<\/p>\n

Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) and the Singapore Cycling Federation (SCF) have entered into the partnership agreement to launch the EPS\u2013SCF Spanish Training Camp. Some of Singapore\u2019s most promising cyclists will train alongside the UCI WorldTour Movistar Team in Spain from 13 January to 3 February 2026.<\/p>\n

Supported by EPS through its partnership with Movistar Team, the program aims to elevate Singapore\u2019s competitive cycling by providing national athletes and coaches with exposure to world-class training, facilities, and mentorship.<\/p>\n

The camp will include junior, U23, and elite riders, along with national coaches Adrian Ng and Mark Chadwick. The initiative supports SCF\u2019s long-term pathway toward major competitions including the 2026 Asian Road Cycling Championships, SEA Games, and future Olympic cycles.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Another UCI Suspension<\/p>\n

It looks like the Biological Passport approach is working -? The UCI has suspended Spanish rider Oier Lazkano Lopez, in accordance with the UCI Anti-Doping Rules, due to unexplained abnormalities in his Athlete Biological Passport in 2022, 2023 and 2024.<\/p>\n

For those who need a refresher \u2014 or who missed the development of the the Athlete Biological Passport protocol in the first place \u2014 the ABP is an anti-doping program that monitors selected biological variables in athletes over time to detect doping indirectly, rather than looking for specific banned substances. Instead of just testing for drugs, it creates an individualized biological profile for each athlete and flags unusual variations that may indicate doping.<\/p>\n

Launched by the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2009, the ABP\u2019s development was driven by the need to combat increasingly sophisticated doping methods, particularly EPO and blood transfusions, which were difficult to detect directly but left measurable biological footprints. The program represented a paradigm shift from reactive to longitudinal monitoring in anti-doping efforts.<\/p>\n

Thus far, the ABP is considered by most observers to be marginally successful in actually identifying doping cases, but a key element of a broad anti-doping effort that is implemented in concert with robust testing measures.<\/p>\n

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