We asked Thijs how it's season is going so far

The cross season started 2 months ago so how it is going?

After I started the cross season earlier than I used to do, it’s getting better and better.
Last year at this time I was not so good, but now I am starting to race better every race. You cannot always see it in the results, but I am very satisfied about some crosses. There were also some drops in between, but I am starting to get more consistent. Especially in the World Cups the level is really high, but I am also improving my results in these races.

What kind of influence did the road season have on you? Are you stronger and how do you see that?

Thanks to the road season I had a very good run-up to the cross season. It did go very well on the road, that I even started to think that I could achieve my aims perhaps. But at this moment I see that I have become stronger especially in core strength. I cannot continue this the whole cross, but hopefully it will still come. The power and core stability training are slowly showing some results, my back is almost painless. This enables me to provide more strength. Hopefully I can improve the upward trend in the coming months and with a couple of good races I can show that I can manage the highest level.

What can we expect from you the forthcoming months?

The coming months will be very busy, a lot of crosses start quickly one after another so there will be little time to recover. I hope to be able to get a top 10 placing in December at last, this must be achievable. I think that all the work of the previous months will prove worthwhile in the coming period, provided that I remain free from injuries and sickness. I will also try to be at the front from the start and try to keep ahead as long as possible. This is I think the way to really reach a higher level.

Which races are very important for you?

Every World Cup cross is important the at the moment so Koksijde, Igorre, and Zolder are in my head constantly. Overijsse and Gieten are also good and important races. After that there will follow of course the National and World Championships.

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