Just as his name was being penciled in at the top of the results sheet, Sven Nys (Crelan-Euphony) crashed and cost himself likely victory in the Bpost Bank Trofee round in Essen. The resulting pain from an injury to his arm now has Nys wondering whether a trip to the hospital will take precedence over a start in the world cup event in Namur on Sunday.
The world champion sits outside the top ten in the UCI World Cup standings, so his overall health going forward will certainly be of more importance than forcing himself to begin Sunday’s race feeling less than ready.
Nys suffered bad luck and mechanical trouble in the opening round of the world cup, the Caubergcross, and dropped out of that race entirely.
On Saturday in Essen, Nys was flashing his usual brilliance on the typically muddy course, extending a 30-second lead toward the halfway point of the race. A clean ride from there by the world champ would have meant that the rest of the field was fighting for second, but the Belgian ran into trouble as he was hopping two hurdles.
His front wheel seemed to slip a bit over the first jump, getting him off line. Nys completed the second hurdle but had drifted too far to the right, getting stuck in the barrier and tumbling forward, using his arms to break most of his fall.
He gingerly favored his right arm and wrist for the next couple laps, grimacing once as he shouldered the bike, but then Nys bore down, picking his way through the chasing pack that had come around him, and eventually moving all the way up to his finish spot of second.
He was even able to put further time into Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) in the Bpost Bank Trofee standings, which Nys now leads by 1’06” over Albert.
His late race charge had many believing that Nys was no worse for the wear, but he told Sporza after the race that his start in Namur is now up in the air.
“It was a serious blow. I have a cut, but that part is okay. My swollen forearm is what worries me a bit,” Nys admitted. “At first I thought it was broken, but eventually I was able to get back in the race. If I really had feared a break, then I would not have finished the race. But I will be examined.
“I hope I can get some sleep tonight,” Nys wrote on Twitter according to Sporza. “If tomorrow is worse, I’ll go to the hospital and not to Namur.”
The error by Nys allowed Kevin Pauwels (Sunweb-Napoleon Games) to take his spot as the solo leader. Pauwels cruised to his second consecutive win but still sits well back in the Bpost Bank Trofee standings. Nys’ comeback allowed him to salvage his series lead and reflect positively on the day overall.
“I got my bike repaired [after the crash] and actually managed to succeed pretty nicely,” Nys added. “All in all I had a very good day, but that one mistake cost me victory.”