Last week Sven Nys decided to take a mental and physical rest to prepare for his comeback. "I don't want to be trapped in my own body anymore. If the feeling is bad, it will be hard to get back on track this season."

Sven Nys has described the last week in his column in the Gazet van Antwerpen. "During the last week, I have barely been on the bike for a few hourse. On Friday morning, I rode for two hours and that was the longest workout of the week. In the first half, I was never on the bike.

"Now I hope to be physically and mentally ready for the race on Sunday in Diegem. I don't expect a good result but in Diegem I want to have the feeling that I have an extra gear. I don't want to be trapped in my own body anymore.

"If the feeling is bad on Sunday, it will be difficult to be at a good level again this season," the Belgian champion said. "If I have a good feeling, it forms the basis to gradually improve again."

Nys could not avoid to comment on the speculation that his poor performances have been caused by his divorce. "Does it bother me? Not really. It is not a pleasure but it is part of the game. However, there must be certain limits I think."