Nys pranks Van der Poel at Tour presentation
Belgian star left the Dutchman a little present on his bars as riders were announced to the crowd
Photo by:
Thibau Nys/Instagram
Nothing wrong with a bit of fun a few days before the biggest race in the world begins. Or at least, that’s what Lidl-Trek’s Thibau Nys—riding his first Tour de France—thought.
Thursday’s team presentation for the 112th Tour de France in Lille, where Saturday’s Grand Départ will launch the race, put the spotlight on the sport’s biggest stars and unveiled a host of new and special kits.
World champion Tadej Pogačar returns to the Tour as the clear favourite. It’s set to be a battle royale with his rival, Jonas Vingegaard. The Dane recently went head-to-head with the Slovenian at the Critérium du Dauphiné, though it’s fair to say Pogačar looked the stronger of the two. Add in Remco Evenepoel—who won the time trial there—and the GC picture becomes even more intriguing. And of course, Primož Roglič can’t be counted out either.
Canada is once again represented by Israel–Premier Tech’s Michael Woods and Guillaume Boivin.
Woods will be chasing a second career stage win, while Boivin lines up for his fifth straight Tour. This year, however, Woods won’t be wearing the maple leaf jersey. His teammate Derek Gee claimed the national title. Gee isn’t riding the Tour, but fans can expect to see him at the Vuelta a España later this season.
A total of 184 riders from 23 teams are racing this year’s Tour.
After recent Grand Départs in Denmark, Spain, and Italy, the Tour returns to home soil for the first time since 2021, kicking off in Lille.
On Nys’s Instagram—the son of multiple ’cross world champion Sven, who also raced against Mathieu’s father, Adri (also a former world champion)—he showed how he managed to get a photo of his smiling face onto the Dutchman’s handlebars.
Van der Poel was initially perplexed at how it got there, but didn’t seem to care. It’s the calm before the storm, and riders were in good spirits. However, ahead of them awaits three weeks of suffering. So it’s all smiles for now!
Racing begins on Saturday. Check back with Canadian Cycling Magazine for daily reports.