Sven Nys made his comeback in yesterday's Superprestige race in Diegem after he had had a small break from competition. The Belgian champion finished 16th. "It was neither good nor bad. I mainly enjoyed the encouragement."

After some disappointing results, Sven Nys skipped the racesin Namur and Zolder. In Diegem, he was back at the start. "It was not bad today. The first half of the cross went well," he told Sporza.

"I crashed pretty hard and then the good feeling had somewhat disappeared. I still tried to follow Pauwels but he was too fast for me. In the end, I was on my limit.

"I finished 16th. The result is similar to the one I had in Essen but the feeling is totally different. I want to stay positive. I finished the race and my heart rate was also good. I come from far away but I have confidence. I will be good again.

"I knew I would not compete for the win. I especially really enjoyed all the cheers form the crowd. Now it's about waiting and seeing how I recover. I look at it step by step. Hopefully, I am a bit better in Loenhout [on Tuesday, ed.]."