Thibau Nys defeats Iserbyt in second round of Superprestige

Young Belgian Thibau Nys now has wins in all three of the big cyclocross series. He triumphed in Sunday’s second round of the 2024-2025 Superprestige in Overijse, Belgium. Illness having complicated his early season, Nys adds the Superprestige win to 2023-2024 rounds of the World Cup and X2O Badkamers Trofee. Joran Wyseure clung tenaciously to the series lead.

The Story So Far

After two big series podiums in 2023-24, Joran Wyseure grabbed the biggest win of his career at last Sunday’s opening round. Current Superprestige champion, a four-round winner last season, Eli Iserbyt had to miss Round 1 through suspension for stomping on Ryan Kamp’s bike at the first Exact Cross. Iserbyt triumphed in Saturday’s second round of Exact Cross.

Laurens Sweeck claimed the hole shot. Lars van der Haar, 2022-2023 Superprestige champion and last seasons’s X2O Badkamers Trofee titlist, shouldn’t be underestimated and he kept close to Sweeck. The front of the string was all Crelan-Corendon and Baloise Trek Lions, the latter due to become Baloise Glowi Lions on January 1. Lion David Haverdings led the gang through the wee car carousel. Iserbyt, who claimed the 2021 and 2023 Overijse races, worked from Position 4.

Wyseure was not having a good time at Overijse. Another Lion, Nys, threaded the string through the Lap 2 carousel. Nys, Niels Vandeputte, Iserbyt and Haverdings pulled away on a hard climb, but the split healed. European champion Michael Vanthourenhout started to press Nys for the scout position.

Vanthourenhout insisted on the front at the start of Lap 3 of 8. Iserbyt wanted it for himself. This skirmishing forged a septet containing Nys, Haverdings, van der Haar and Vandeputte. A Nys mechanical put him momentarily on the back foot.

Vanthourenhout pulled a flyer on Lap 4. Pauwels Sauzen teammate Iserbyt tried to control the chase pace, but the Lions raced with great focus. The leader went through the midpoint of the contest with a four-second gap.

Reformation marked the start of Lap 5. Iserbyt pressed in the forest and then the cobbled climb, shaking everyone but Nys. But running where Iserbyt rode, Nys was able to force his way to the front. Vandeputte rejoined the fray.

With Nys trying to solo away on Lap 6 and 7, van der Haar and Vandeputte kept themselves in the podium conversation, Vanthourenhout lingering just behind them. Again Iserbyt and Nys edged ahead.

The final lap saw van der Haar struggle on the forested section. Iserbyt attacked on the cobbled climb. Vandeputte stayed put and van der Haar played Tailgunner Charlie. Nys seized control before the wee car carousel and then finally pried open a chasm. Van der Haar nicked the podium from Vandeputte, who is tied on points with Wyseure at the top of the classification.

The next round is November 11 in Wiel.

Superprestige Round 2, Overijse
1) Thibau Nys (Belgium/Baloise Trek Lions) 57:29
2) Eli Iserbyt (Belgium/Pauwels Sauzen) +0:02
3) Lars van der Haar (Belgium/Baloise Trek Lions) +0:05