Belgium's National Coach Angelo De Clercq predicted as much before the elite men's race at the 2026 Cyclo-cross World Championships – his riders were likely to be battling for second and third place, at best.
The Belgians hadn't displayed much hope of beating Mathieu van der Poel in Hulst on Sunday, and the Dutchman was in imperious form on home ground, soloing to win a record eighth title by 35 seconds.
In another blow to Belgium, they weren't able to secure silver either, with Van der Poel's nation and trade teammate Tibor De Grosso breaking clear late to finish in second. Instead, a third place, scored by Thibau Nys 10 seconds behind Del Grosso, was Belgium's consolation prize.
Nys said later that he was proud of his result, which will sit alongside his 2025 bronze and 2024 European title. He said that he was on track for second until the late rainfall, which saw Del Grosso come from behind to put the pressure on and on the bell lap drop Nys for second.
"I'm proud of this bronze. I would have preferred to finish second, of course, but I can't say the result is undeserved. I would have loved to be second, but it's not a big difference," Nys said in the post-race press conference.
"For a long time, I felt I had control over that second place, until it started pouring rain on the penultimate lap. By then, I had little recourse."
Nys broke clear of reigning under-23 world champion Del Grosso on the sixth of eight laps of the race. He looked set for silver until the rainfall.
"I opted for a bit of a lighter profile [tyre], which was perfect until one-and-a-half laps to go. I also made my move at the right moment, and I could make the gap for second place," Nys said.
"Then it started raining full gas, and it was way too late to switch [tyres] again or make a call to the pit crew. I just had to do it with what I had. Then I felt it would become difficult.
"Losing a couple of seconds every corner was not nice, but Mathieu was the strongest, so we don't really have the feeling that we missed out on a title or anything."
Belgium may not quite have lived up to last season's race in Liévin, where Wout van Aert took silver ahead of Nys for two Belgians on the podium, but there was no doubt that the winner did, as Van der Poel broke Erik De Vlaeminck's 53-year-old record with an eighth elite men's victory.
Echoing calls from around the sport in recent weeks, including from his father, Sven, Nys called Van der Poel "the best there ever was" and said he hopes he can reach a similar level.
"I'm sure he didn't have his best day of the season. Not his top five, maybe not even his top 10 day, but still, he was clearly the best," Nys said.
"It's a level I'd like to reach. I hope I can make those strides in the coming years. He's the best there ever was."
Concluding the press conference, Nys ran the rule over his own winter campaign, which he rated a seven or eight out of 10.
"I think [my season] was good, but it can be better. It was solid. I have six wins, I renewed my Belgian title, and in some ways, I made a good step forward.
"I think I was way more consistent than last year, and I also think I got stronger. Also, in some ways, I felt like I could do a lot better, and I'll try to prove this in the coming years."
Experience the 2026 cycling season with a Cyclingnews subscription that offers you unlimited access to our unrivalled coverage. Our global team will be on the ground at all the major races to bring you breaking news, in-depth features, exclusive interviews and member-exclusive content. Find out more.
