“I got some space in the first round, but then I still had to make some room,” said the European champion, who had clearly suffered in the cold and wet East Flanders. “It also seemed wiser to me not to fully open the throttle yet and therefore to let myself slide along with the others. After the fall of Eli (Iserbyt, red.) I had no choice but to go full throttle and then I also felt that I was getting more into my rhythm in terms of technique and legs. I felt like I was coming loose, so I had to keep going.
Nys placed a decisive acceleration in the sixth of nine laps. He left fellow escapee Laurens Sweeck behind and rode solo to victory, two days before his 22nd birthday.
“It was a matter of sprinting up every climb and not making any mistakes afterwards,” he said. “This is a cross where you have to stay focused. I was only confident on the last lap, on the way down. I could barely get into my pedals and my back felt really tired. I enjoyed it from start to finish, but it was grueling. Every victory is important. This one is not special because it is my first in this jersey, winning always means a lot. That’s why we train a lot, go to sleep on time and eat the right things. That’s why we make all kinds of sacrifices, so this is great.”
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