'I see one guy beating Tadej on the Mur: Thibau Nys' – Mattias Skjelmose backs teammate to beat Pogačar at Flèche Wallonne

After his shock win at the Amstel Gold Race, Mattias Skjelmose has tipped his Lidl-Trek team to stun the heavy favourites Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) again at Wednesday's La Flèche Wallonne, but this time, through debutant Thibau Nys.

Multi-discipline sensation Nys, 22, is amid his first tilt at the Ardennes Classics, with his road career still in relative infancy. However, he's quickly become a contender for the biggest races, with 12 professional victories to his name and an explosive punch that rivals the best in the peloton.

Lidl-Trek will start La Flèche Wallonne, famed for its iconic Mur de Huy finish, with both the Dane and Belgian on their roster, and while a two-leader strategy could play a part, Skjelmose believes Nys could be set for the result of his career.

"Of course, we have two cards to play, but we also need to be realistic. I've said it before, and I will continue saying it – on the Mur, there is one guy in the world that can beat Tadej, and that is Thibau," said Skjelmose in his Amstel Gold winner's press conference.

"If he has his day, I think he's our card to play. When I was second [in 2023], we also had Ciccone in fifth, so it is possible to ride with more leaders. But we ride to win, and right now, I see one guy in the world beating Tadej on the Mur, and that is Thibau Nys."

Skjelmose was able to win Sunday's one-day Classic after hanging onto Evenepoel's wheel, when the pair got away from the main chase group, as the Olympic champion reeled back in Pogačar, who had gone solo 42km from the finish. The Dane would then do the seemingly impossible and beat them both in the three-up sprint.

On debut, Nys crossed the line in 12th, 49 seconds after his teammate, after getting dropped from group two on the final ascent of the Cauberg. While satisfied with the team's win and his own performance, Nys admitted that it was the 255km race distance that did for his chances of a top 10.

"I ended up in my place. I think I can be very satisfied. Unfortunately, it lasted ten kilometres too long. The last time Cauberg was too much," Nys told HLN at the finish.

"I had a good day, but I was just not fresh enough to still be able to participate in the final. I looked at my heart rate, and I can see from that that I just didn't have a top day. But this wasn't bad: I was able to build up here for the short and long term."

Nys said he would return to the Dutch race to hopefully "one day win" it; however, his focus will now be on the Classic he was targeting most this season, La Flèche Wallonne, with the double-digit gradients and 1.3km of brutally steep road suiting his profile perfectly. 

In a behind-the-scenes "All access" documentary released by Lidl-Trek last week, they showed a detailed insight into the dream Nys has for winning atop the Wall of Huy.

"Flèche is one of the biggest goals. If I could win, I would be over the moon," said Nys.

"I still feel like I don't need to win those races to be satisfied with the season, because it will be a big step up in level. But I feel like you have to set your mind to try to win it. I'm not saying I'm going to or I'm only going to be satisfied if I win, but at least you've got to go in and try to be ready for it."

Nys' dad, Sven, a two-time cyclocross world champion, also features in the video, with the former reminiscing on his time training on the Wallonian roads with his Dad.

"Before I even thought about making a road career, I always felt like if there was one road race where I might have a chance to win, it was Flèche," said Nys. "And I don't know if it is possible, but I still look at it the same."

He won't have the experience of the rest of the field or his teammate Skjelmose, who finished second to Pogačar in Huy two years ago, admitting that "It's like going in blind," however, still "with quite some confidence."

What will be certain for Nys, whether he makes it onto the vicious 1.3km climb on Wednesday in the right position or not, is that his legs are the best they've ever been. That may not translate into beating Pogačar or Evenepoel, having raced the former for only the first time at Amstel, however, the Belgian is ready to run the gauntlet.

"I feel like we've had the best build-up possible. I've never been better before, but that's not a guarantee for a win in a Classic or for a nice result," said Nys. 

"That's also not really on my mind, I just want to be the best version of myself. Maybe I will ride my best possible race in Flèche or Amstel and still get dropped, but then it is what it is, and we try to learn for the next years. But I feel like I did everything I could, we had a flawless build-up towards the start of the road season, and I think I'm ready to show it off."

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