Sven Nys

Sven Nys

Nys at the 2005 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships.
Personal information
Full name	Sven Nys
Nickname	The Cannibal from Baal (in Dutch) De Kannibaal van Baal (in Dutch) "De Svekke, De Svenne, "ieeee de Svenne"
Born	(1976-06-17) 17 June 1976 (age 45) Bonheiden, Belgium
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	72 kg (159 lb)
Team information
Current team	Baloise Trek Lions
Disciplines	Cyclo-cross Mountain bike Road
Role	Rider (retired) Team manager
Amateur team
2014–2016	Crelan–AA Drink
Professional teams
1998–2008	Rabobank
2008–2013	Landbouwkrediet–Tönissteiner
Managerial team
2016–	Telenet–Fidea Lions
Major wins
Cyclo-cross World Cup Overall standings (2000, 2002, –2007, 2009) 50 individual races Superprestige Overall standings (1999–2000, 2002–2003, 2005–2009, 2011–2014) 55 individual races bPost Bank Trophy Overall standings (2003, 2005–2011, 2014) 42 individual races World Championships (2005, 2013) National Championships (2000, 2003, 2005–2006, 2008–2010, 2012, 2014) Mountain biking National Championships (2005, 2007, 2013, 2014, 2015)
show Medal record Representing  Belgium Men's cyclo-cross World Championships Sankt Wendel 2005 Elite Men Louisville 2013 Elite Men Sankt Wendel 2011 Elite Men Hoogerheide 2014 Elite Men Sint-Michielsgestel 2000 Elite Men Zolder 2002 Elite Men Treviso 2008 Elite Men Hoogerheide 2009 Elite Men Tábor 2010 Elite Men

Sven Nys (Dutch: [ˌsfɛn ˈnɛis]; born 17 June 1976) is a former professional cyclist competing in cyclo-cross and mountain bike. With two world championships, seven world cups, and over 140 competitive victories, he is considered one of the best cyclo-cross racers of his generation, and remains a prominent figure in cyclo-cross. Apart from cyclo-cross, Nys is also fivefold national mountainbike champion, and has competed in that discipline in two Olympic games.

Career overview[]

Early years[]

Born in Bonheiden, Belgium, Nys began racing BMX at the age of 8. He won eight BMX national titles before switching to cyclocross, a more popular sport in Belgium. He won the under-23 world championship in 1997 and 1998, beating another Belgian, Bart Wellens. Nys moved to the elite category in 1998–1999, joining the Dutch Rabobank team.

Becoming elite[]

In the elite class he won the Superprestige competition and came third in the national championships. The next season, he won the Superprestige again, ended the World Cup as leader and became Belgian champion. This made him favourite for the 2000 world championship. But his Rabobank management told him not to beat his teammate, the Dutchman Richard Groenendaal.^[1][2] Groenendaal sprinted away from the start and Nys was forced to hold back and not help another Belgian, Mario De Clercq, chase him. Groenendaal won and Nys, who came third, was criticised in Belgium for choosing team over country.^[3][4][5] The Royal Belgian Cycling League demanded an explanation. It became more forgiving but the head coach, Erik De Vlaeminck, remained unconvinced.^[6][7]

Nys blamed an injury for not winning a season-long competition or championship in 2000–2001.^[8] A year later he won the World Cup and the Superprestige again. In the world championships that year he came third after being outsprinted by De Clercq and Tom Vannoppen. The following season Nys won the Superprestige for the fourth time as well as the Gazet van Antwerpen trophy for a first time. He became Belgian champion again, but Wellens won the world championship and the World Cup.

Wellens dominated 2003–2004. Nys' chance for the World Cup ended when other Belgians sprinted past him, taking points.^[9] Nys was angry that his countrymen had allowed Groenendaal, a Dutchman, to win the World Cup rather than him.^[10] That evening Nys decided from then on to ride for himself.

This is war. Thanks Vannoppen, thanks Van der Linden. This is the last thing I have done for the Belgian team. They can all go to hell. [...] Apparently there are some who take joy out of me not winning the World Cup. I know who and will take that into account next year. National team coach Rudy De Bie told me that he has never seen anything like this before. Our country loses the World Cup today.

— Sven Nys, after the Pijnacker race,^[10] translated from Dutch

The cannibal[]

Nys won everything of importance and at the end of 2004–2005 won the national and world championships, ended number one in the UCI rankings and World Cup, the Superprestige and the Gazet van Antwerpen Trophy. He is the only cyclo-crosser to achieve such dominance. Nys came close to repeating the feat the following season but he gave up in the world championship after a fall on the last lap.

Nys won all eight Superprestige races in 2006–2007. In the Superprestige he won 13 races from Hoogstraten in 2005 to Asper Gaver in 2007. That season he won the World Cup and the Gazet van Antwerpen trophy again, but neither the national or world championship. The national involved a lot of running, not Nys' talent, and were won by Wellens. At the world championship in Zeddam Nys fell three times: over Wellens, who fell because a television motor had hit one of the road markers; over Erwin Vervecken; and because of an error of his own. He finished 11th.

The following season, Nys won the World Cup, the Superprestige and the Gazet van Anterwerpen trophy again. He also won his fifth national championship. The Dutchman Lars Boom became champion of the world and Zdeněk Štybar took the silver, both barely 22 at the time. Nys, already nearing 32, came third.

Nys switched teams from Rabobank to Landbouwkrediet-Tönissteiner.^[11] Niels Albert, 2008's U23 world champion, joined the elite category that season, giving Nys another opponent. But Nys won all the season-long competitions and the national championship. Albert won the world championship, Štybar was second and Nys third. The Belgian press referred to Albert, Štybar and Nys as De Grote Drie (The Big Three), it was clear that Nys' years of absolute domination were behind him.

In his second mountain bike race Nys won the Belgian championship and then came ninth at the Olympic Games in 2008. On 31 December 2006 Nys won his 150th race with the elites, at Diegem.^[12][13] Four years later, he scored his 300th career win at the Koppenbergcross,^[14][15] one of the toughest races in the season.

Nys was appointed as a member of the inaugural UCI Athletes' Commission in 2011.^[16]

In 2013 Nys won the world championship a second time.^[17] He said his career was now complete.^[18]

On 10 February 2013, Nys won his 60th race in the Superprestige.^[19]

On 22 November 2015, Nys won the Koksijde round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Belgium, his fiftieth victory in the series. His win came seventeen years and a day after his first World Cup victory.^[20]

Sven Nys called a halt to his career on 5–6 March 2016 at an event called "Merci Sven" which was held at the Antwerp Sportpaleis (Belgium).

Post cycling career[]

After ending his active cyclocross career Nys bought the cyclocross team Telenet–Fidea Lions of which he is the general manager.^[21] He is also a motivational speaker, during his keynotes he shares information about his experiences during his cycling career.^[22]

Major results[]

Cyclo-cross[]

Major championship results[]

Season	World	National
1998–1999	POP 6	SOU 3
1999–2000	SMI 3	GEN 1
2000–2001	TAB 4	MOL 6
2001–2002	ZOL 3	KOK 7
2002–2003	MON 5	WIE 1
2003–2004	PCH DNF	LIL 3
2004–2005	SAN 1	WAC 1
2005–2006	ZED DNF	TER 1
2006–2007	HOO 11	HAM 3
2007–2008	TRE 3	HOF 1
2008–2009	HOO 3	RUD 1
2009–2010	TAB 3	OOS 1
2010–2011	SAN 2	ANT DNF
2011–2012	KOK 7	HOO 1
2012–2013	LOU 1	MOL 2
2013–2014	HOO 2	WAR 1

UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup results[]

Season	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Rank	Points
	SAF 1	TAB 2	LEU 1	KAL 2	ZED 2	NOM 6						1	300
	BER NP	TAB 5	LEU 20	ZOL 1	ZED 1	PON 18						6	179
	MON 1	IGO 1	WOR 2	NOM 10	WET 1	HEE 6						1	282
	FRA 3	KAL 5	LIÉ 1	WET 4	HOO 1							2	300
	TOR 1	SWE 1	WET 1	KOK 5	NOM 7	PIJ 7						2	299
	WOR 5	TAB 5	PIJ 1	KOK 2	WET 1	MIL 1	HOF 1	AIG 2	NOM 1	HOO 1	LAN 1	1	2940
	KAL 1	TAB 1	PIJ 1	WET 1	MIL 1	IGO 8	HOF 1	1	LIE 1	HOO 8		1	2660
2006–2007	AIG 1	KAL 1	TAB 5	TRE 2	PIJ 1	KOK 1	IGO 1	MIL 2	HOF 5	NOM 1	HOO 1	1	3500
2007–2008	KAL 2	TAB 1	PIJ 5	KOK 1	IGO 1	MIL NH	HOF 1	LIÉ 8	HOO 12			NR	NR
2008–2009	KAL 1	TAB 4	PIJ 3	KOK 2	IGO 1	NOM 2	ZOL 6	ROU 3	MIL 1			1	620
2009–2010	TRE DNF	PLZ 2	NOM 3	KOK 2	IGO 3	KAL 1	HEU 3	ROU 3	HOO 5			3	535
2010–2011	AIG 9	PLZ 5	KOK 3	IGO 3	KAL 2	HEU 5	3	HOO 3				3	484
2011–2012	PLZ 1	TAB 5	KOK 1	IGO 2	NAM 1	HEU 3	4	HOO 6				2	540
2012–2013	TAB 5	PLZ 6	KOK 1	ROU 1	NAM 2	HEU 1	ROM 20	HOO 4				3	506

^[23][24][25]

NP: not participated

NH: not held

DNF: did not finish

NR: no ranking for individuals

Superprestige[]

Season	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Rank	Points
1995–1996									26th	7
1996–1997									11th	43
1997–1998									5th	87
1998–1999									1st	154
1999–2000									1st	284
2000–2001									6th	129
2001–2002	RUD 2	SMI 2	GAV 1	GIE 1	HOO 3	DIE 6	HAR 15	VOR 2	1st	177
2002–2003	RUD 1	SMI 1	GAV 4	GIE 1	DIE 2	HOO 1	HAR 1	VOR 2	1st	218
2003–2004	RUD 2	SMI 1	GAV 3	GIE 3	DIE 4	HOO 4	RAI 8	VOR 1	2nd	176
2004–2005	RUD 1	HAM 3	SMI 2	GAV 1	GIE 1	DIE 2	VOR 1	HOO 6	1st	111
2005–2006	RUD 2	SMI 2	HAM 1	GAV 1	GIE 2	DIE 2	HOO 1	VOR 1	1st	116
2006–2007	RUD 1	SMI 1	GAV 1	GIE 1	HAM 1	DIE 1	HOO 1	VOR 1	1st	150
2007–2008	RUD 1	HAM 1	GAV 1	GIE 2	VEG 1	DIE 1	HOO 5	VOR 7	1st	89
2008–2009	RUD 1	VEG 3	GAV 1	HAM 1	GIE 3	DIE 3	HOO 1	VOR 1	1st	114
2009–2010	RUD 1	HOO 3	GAV 2	HAM 2	GIE 1	DIE DNF	ZON 1	VOR 4	3rd	98
2010–2011	RUD 3	ZON 3	HAM 1	GAV 1	GIE 4	DIE 2	HOO 1	MID 6	1st	107
2011–2012	RUD 4	ZON 2	HAM 3	GAV 5	GIE 1	DIE 3	HOO 3	MID 2	1st	105
2012–2013	RUD 1	ZON 1	HAM 1	GAV 1	GIE 2	DIE 7	HOO 1	MID 5	1st	109
2013–2014	RUD 2	ZON 1	HAM 2	GAV 1		DIE 1	HOO 1	MID 3	1st	101
2014–2015	GIE 3	ZON 2	RUD 4	GAV 3	SPA 8	DIE 16	HOO 6	MID 7	6th	79

^[26]

BPost Bank Trophy[]

Up until the season 2011–2012, this competition was called the Gazet van Antwerpen Trophy (GvA).

Season	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Rank	Points
	OUD 1	NIE 3	HAS 1	ESS 1	LOE 4	BAA 1	LIL 3	OOS	1st	241
2008–2009	OUD 1	NIE 3	HAS 5	ESS 1	LOE 2	BAA 1	LIL	OOS

Mountain biking[]

Road racing[]

References[]

External links[]

• Official website
• Sven Nys at ProCyclingStats
• Sven Nys at Cycling Archives

Sporting positions
Preceded by Roel Paulissen	2005	Succeeded by Filip Meirhaeghe
Preceded by Filip Meirhaeghe	2007	Succeeded by Roel Paulissen
Preceded by Kevin Pauwels	2013, 2014, 2015	Succeeded by Ruben Scheire
Awards
Preceded by Tom Boonen	Belgian Sports Personality of the Year 2006	Succeeded by Justine Henin