Tibor Del Grosso felt that he forced rival Thibau Nys into a last-lap mistake, allowing him to clinch silver from the Belgian following a race-long battle in his maiden elite UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships.
The rising star won the under-23 category during the last two years before making his impact in the elite ranks this campaign. On Sunday, Del Grosso played a loyal teammate role to help fellow countryman Mathieu van der Poel split the race in the opening lap, before his Alpecin-Premier Tech teammate rode away to an historic eighth world title.
“We really put each other on the limit. It made it [the silver medal] more satisfying after a hard battle. The spectators really liked that there was some battle going on,” said Del Grosso.
"Thibau [Nys] was on slightly less tread than me. I think he struggled a little bit more when the course got more slippery and I also knew that I had to take some advantage out of that and hopefully force him into making a mistake. I was quite happy he did in the end."
It was far from straightforward for Del Grosso who was put under severe pressure by Nys, but capitalised on mistakes to ride back to the Belgian. Then on the last lap, Del Grosso pressured his rival and forced him into a decisive error up a steep banking and claimed silver.
"There were a few sections where I thought that Thibau was a bit faster than me and put me under pressure. Sometimes I also felt I didn't have to push all out along the pits and stuff because I knew I could make something up on that uphill.
“I saved it for the last lap. I really tried to get there first and try and force him into making a mistake.”
It has been a standout cyclo-cross season for Del Grosso, who has progressed into the elite ranks with apparent ease. The 22-year-old showed his talent with an impressive sprint victory at Heusden-Zolder, beating Belgian Wout van Aert in a head-to-head duel.
Del Grosso added another win to his collection at Diegem and clinched the elite Dutch national title for a second time. He was also only denied a maiden World Cup win in the final two rounds at Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide, both by Van der Poel.
“It was quite cool to make such a step up,” he added. “I think it proves that I belong in the top of the sport. Of course, I really would like to become World Champion in the elites one day as well.
“It's quite nice to make a big steps so soon and be quite close and to be up there already as a first year [elite]."
Many have compared the talents of Del Grosso to that of his team leader. Van der Poel clinched a record-breaking eighth Cyclo-cross World Championship title Sunday, with his first coming aged 20 in Tabor in 2015. However, the 23-year-old believes that it was an 'unfair comparison' to make of the two.
“It's a compliment being compared to Mathieu, but it’s a bit incomprehensible how good he," the 22-year-old said.
“It's also a bit of an unfair comparison. I think you can only disappoint when you get compared to someone that great. I don’t think I’ll ever become as good as Mathieu, but it would be nice to come close to his level."
Del Grosso spent the 2025-2026 'cross season riding in the elite ranks for the first time and against Van der Poel.
“I think he's really showing that he's probably the best cyclo-cross rider of all time. It's really impressive seeing him ride around, especially being on his wheel," Del Grosso continued.
"It's incredible to see how much power and precision, and his technique. I know how good he is, but I don't start the race to get second. Every race is a new chance to see how long I can follow him. Hopefully one day I can make it to the last lap with him.”
During his first season as a professional on the road with Alpecin-Premier Tech, Del Grosso won a stage in the Tour of Turkey. He will now take a ‘short rest’ before preparing for his road race season, which he says will start at the begging of March. The youngster wants to ‘be good’ in the spring Classics but isn’t sure which races he would be riding.
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