Earlier this week Sven Nys met in Brussels with the other members of the UCI Cyclo-Cross Commission.  In a long interview with Veldritskrant.be, the Belgian reflected on his rivals and the future of cyclo-cross.

After a disappointing 2014-2015 season, Nys has returned to the top. He is yet to win a race but he has been a perennial contender in the biggest races.
 

"I'm one of the top four, together with Van Aert Van der Haar and Pauwels," he told the Belgian website. "I can build on this. Since Las Vegas - where I was good – I have taken a step forward. That's what I was hoping for. Unlike the rivals, I did fifteen race days this summer. So there is still margin.

“I have cursed the mistake I made in Valkenburg when Wout van Aert could pull away. When I saw a particular photo, that feeling came up again. Well, actually it was not a surprise. I felt during the warm-up that I made ​​mistakes. If you also make occasional faults during the race, it costs you one or more spots. And that annoys me enormously."

Having been up there in all the major races, Nys has had a chance to analyze the rivals.

“It was a nervous wait until the start of the season. The expectations of a number of riders were high. Last summer, I saw not only a strong Van Aert, but Merlier, Sweeck and Vermeersch also impressed. Pauwels and Meeusen again did anonymous races.  I could not estimate Van der Haar because as a WorldTour rider he rode another program and I found Mathieu van der Poel less impressive than expected.

“After a few races I note that Van Aert confirms. I predicted after Las Vegas that it would be eight out of ten for Wout and that is still possible. He has become even stronger and has extra experience.  I expected something more from Vermeersch and Sweeck in Gieten and Ronse. They perform with ups and downs. Not surprisingly, given their young age. And Van der Haar is also currently strong, just like last year. I wonder whether he can keep that level.”

Last week Wout van Aert was defeated for the first time.

"Wout is only human, isn’t he? He took five out of five and got all the pressure on his shoulders," Nys said. "In Ronse, he still responded perfectly. He didn’t do his best race but he won. Mentally he was the strongest. What a determination he showed in the final lap!

"I will remember those images of what happened after the finish (van Aert was completely exhausted, ed.). That was not bluffing. You can’t fake something like that. Honestly, I can’t go as deep as Wout did in Ronse, five times a year, you know. If I do that too often, I lose shape. And believe me, you do not recover in one day. It might even have an impact on my training. I race more on instinct. I am not obsessed with my speed. That's why I do not always respond immediately to an attack."

One rider that has been missing from the action is Klaas Vantornout who skipped the race in Valkenburg as he suffers from a virus.

"I cannot judge how Vantornout feels," Nys said. "But if you skip a World Cup race, you are basically not feeling good. You don’t just skip these races. On the other hand, if he soon wins on the Koppenberg or in Gavere, I will not be surprised. But everyone must decide for himself how he handles his season. Of course there will be a reaction. But he really has a health problem."

Another notable absentee is world champion Mathieu van der Poel (BKCP-Powerplus) who is out with an injury.

“At the moment, no one is talking about BKCP-Powerplus," Nys said. "You see that a team stands or falls with its leader. Bosmans, Baestaens and Walsleben will occasionally be up there but they cannot bear the weight of a race every week. But the same would apply to Vastgoedservice-Golden Palace. Imagine if they lost Van Aert. All the pressure would be on the shoulders of Peeters and Merlier. Do you think that would work? And that goes for all the teams, you know.

"But the absence of Mathieu is not good for cyclo-cross. I sympathize with him. How frustrating must it be? I hear he's coming back in Koksijde. That leaves him only with the Worlds. The series are gone .It makes merealize that I do not have much to complain about with the injuries I have had in my career. From 1998 until now, I was barely out of action."

Nys is not only one of the best riders, he is also member of the UCI cyclo-cross commission and so has a big say in determining the future of the sport. After the recent meeting, he has reason to be optimistic.

“It was a very good meeting with positive evaluations," he said. "In the World Cup in Las Vegas there were a lot of new nationalities at the start. Countries that we never get to see here. Apparently America is easier to access for some countries than Europe. I am talking about China, Japan,... That's something to think about. And there was a real race. We also need that direction with the World Cup. We must depart from having three World Cup races in Belgium. In an ideal world, each country has a maximum of one or maximum two races. I know I speak against the wish of our own organizers. But if you want to promote the sport, you have to spread its wings."

It was the plan to have a World Cup race in Canada but the organizers had to cancel the race late in the process.

"It was a shame," Nys said. "Let’s make it clear that Canada will get no second chance. And rightly so. We should avoid such situations. We talk with many potential organizers, but when the decisions have to be made... Yet there will be candidates for the coming years that we have to consider.

"We also spoke about the efforts that have been made for women's cyclo-cross. More money, more races, more visibility. And that has its effect. Gradually, more mountainbike ladies turn to cyclo-cross. That's a good thing because level goes up.Furthermore, cyclo-cross will also have a chance to become an Olympic sport. 

"One of the biggest stumbling blocks in that fight was the skewed situation between men and women. That is little by little outdated. I was impressed when I watched the ladies in Valkenburg on TV. A good field, right?"

One issue for Nys is to change the points allocation for the world rankings.

"I have not studied the new ranking extensively," he said. "It is not ideal. A U23 Belgian Championships title is rewarded in the same way as the Belgian championships with the pros. That’s not exactly the right proportion. Also in the World Cup races, U23 riders get lots of points, and then they have a European Championships too. I refer to Laurens Sweeck who is now fifth, thanks to his performance in the U23 races. Especially the second professional year is difficult for young people. And whoever drops out of the 50 cannot get back again easily. On the other hand, if you are able to ride the World Cup races, you're usually safe."

The rules for participation in World Cup races have been changed, meaning that the top 50 riders in the world ranking can now automatically do the races. Earlier the different nations only had a limited number of spots. The new rules have allowed lots of Belgians to get into the biggest races.

“So what?" Nys asked. "We cannot be the victim of our own success. Who is up there in the rankings should have the right to participate in major competitions. It is too bad that the other countries have slipped down. Czech Republic takes a step back, Switzerland too. Therefore it is not bad that some Belgians (Baestaens, Bosmans, Vandekinderen, Dieter Vanthourenhout, red) went to Japan and Denmark to score points. That's a good thing."

Aside from politics, Nys is focused on the racing. First on his agenda is today's Superprestige race in Zonhoven.

“Personally I see Zonhoven as the first true classic of the season," he said. "Everybody has goosebumps in that magical pit, both the riders and the public. In recent years I always rode for the win. The adrenaline you feel when you're in the final and plunges into a pit...indescribable. My favorites? The usual four, unless it gets tactical. Although Zonhoven is cross  based on form: at the end of the story the best one wins anyway. And that are the four riders I have already mentioned.”