The former rider has often seen duels between Del Grosso and Nys, who for him will really be the men of the future. ‘Be careful, it won’t take long. They are 21 years old. That may be coming, but those will be the men of the future. The rest are slowly starting to have a problem. Then we will discuss everything across the board.’
“Lars van der Haar is going to retire himself, the rest will have to fight against that for years to come,” Herygers continues. ‘Such as Niels Vandeputte, Michael Vanthourenhout, Gerben Kuypers and Toon Aerts. But that only becomes more difficult every day and every tick of the clock,” the Belgian commentator warns his compatriots.
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Herygers sees ‘radical difference’ between Del Grosso and Nys
In Hulst, Del Grosso managed to beat Nys and come second. Yet Herygers sees little difference. ‘They are so evenly matched that I am inclined to talk about 50/50.’ However, in the sand the Dutchman seems better than the Belgian. ‘That is already a radical difference. If those two drive Koksijde for ten years, then it will be ten zero, or a great star will have to fall.’
So the ex-cross rider sees a choice for Nys. ‘Say: we’re going to reset, we’re going to sort everything out. You are a professional, you will ride with the best equipment, from your little toe to the top of your head. Certain products should not influence your qualities and your victories.’
That material was still a problem for Nys at the World Championships, as he slipped a lot due to the rain in the final round. It turned out that this was due to the choice of tires. ‘You could certainly at least look at what Van der Poel drives and what the Roodhoofts drive. And that’s about tubes. That’s the only thing that actually takes precedence.’
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“I wouldn’t know where he made a mistake,” Herygers said about Nys’ World Cup
Yet Herygers remains full of praise for Nys. ‘He’s a great guy with few secrets. Only a small sandbox bothers him, but otherwise he is perfect. That is our leader par excellence. That will be the man of the future and he really likes it. All that still has to be expressed. That will be Nys at its best.’
Yet the Belgian cross rider had to tolerate Del Grosso at the World Cup. ‘His only target now is that Del Grosso. He must try to follow that and try to beat it regularly or as much as possible,” says Herygers, who is satisfied with Nys’s World Cup. “That’s just almost the maximum taken out.”
‘I wouldn’t know where he made a mistake. Maybe in those smaller crosses and in the sandboxes, but otherwise it went fantastic. Also this World Cup, this is a step ahead. He drove the way he was supposed to drive,” the Belgian concluded.
