At 22 years of age, Tibor del Grosso seems to be navigating his way into the cycling world, thus far, with perfection. A decade ago not many riders of his age performed at the level the Alpecin-Deceuninck does at this point in time, but the evolution of riders such as Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel has, in his opinion, changed the perception of what young riders are typically capable of achieving.Del Grosso, the current two-time under-23 Cyclocross World Champion, races for the same team that Mathieu van der Poel always has; is thriving in the discipline from a young age and making the transition into the road with lots of potential; and has the bike skills and charisma that characterized his compatriot in his early years. For many reasons he is often called the ‘new van der Poel’.But “people often forget that Mathieu has been racing single-cross longer, considering his age. He grew up with the Roodhoofts team in road cycling. That team only became WorldTour when he was 26,” Del Grosso argued in an interview with Wielerflits‘ RIDE Magazine. Del Grosso is at the time still 22, and raced his first season with the World Tour structure this year. But he feels the pressure and expectations from the outside regarding him, much due to other riders who thrived or are currently at the top despite their very young age.
“He achieved a great deal at a young age, but he didn’t really compete for trophies on the road until later. I hope they’ll grant me that time as well. However, expectations for young riders are much higher these days. That’s because young guys like Remco Evenepoel, Tadej Pogacar, Isaac Del Toro, and Paul Seixas are already delivering top performances so early”.
Del Grosso perfectly on trackIn cyclocross, the Dutchman is not only the future, but the present already. And on the road, he has had quite a stellar season, with lots of World Tour racing; coming close to taking his first World Tour win at the Volta a Catalunya; taking his first pro win at the Tour of Turkey; finishing fifth at the Tour of Norway and Top10 at the Renewi Tour confirming his talent also in multi-day races.
“We shouldn’t take the achievements of riders like Evenepoel, Pogacar, Del Toro, and Seixas for granted. Exactly. That does happen a little, though. 2025, my first year in the WorldTour, started off incredibly well. In Catalunya, I was already close to winning a few stages, and a few days later I finished in the top ten in Dwars door Vlaanderen,” he adds. “From that moment on, it suddenly seems the norm. People quickly forget how young you still are”.
And like van der Poel, del Grosso will be a classics specialist with certainty, and one who could already become the legend’s right-hand man this spring. “Absolutely [a surprise]. I really didn’t expect to be able to ride finals at that level so quickly. After that, people immediately assume that’s the new normal”.
“That you’re always competing for the top ten. I don’t mind that. I’ve ridden pretty consistently well the rest of the year. But sometimes you forget how cool it is to ride in the second group in Dwars door Vlaanderen with guys like Mads Pedersen and Stefan Küng, who I always watched on TV. It feels like you’re living your childhood dream,” he concluded.
Del Grosso on the attack at Dwars door Vlaanderen. @Sirotti