Sven Nys was clearly sufering when he crossed the line in Heusden-Zolder. The veteran could only manage tenth place in the World Cup race. "It's too fast for me," Nys said after the fifth World Cup race of the season.

"I've tried, but at the moment it is just very bad," he told Het Nieuwsblad. "Currently, I am riding for top ten places. That's really hard. It's too fast for me. At the moment, I am missing some strength. On a steep climb I cannot accelerate. It has to go better. I can only hope that it happens soon."