"Everyone was at their limit", however, Tibor Del Grosso nets his first big win of 2026

Tibor Del Grosso has had a breakthrough winter in cyclocross, where he has achieved another Dutch national title but also several high-level victories and results that have placed him in the tier directly below Mathieu van der Poel. On the road, Alpecin-Premier Tech have put in the trust on the youngster, and he delivered today with a win at the Volta NXT Classic.

“This really means a lot. I hoped to win in the first block of this season, and I am happy that I can tick that off," Del Grosso said in an interview with Wielerflits. The hilly race was ideal for his classics specialist attributes, and he delivered after attacking with Mauro Schmid, winner of several races early in the season.

“Yes, it did surprise me where the two of us rode away. It must have been a tough race, that everyone was at their limit," he added. "I think Mauro was surprised by it too. It made things simple, the fact that we rode to the finish line together".

It wasn't a sprint in which one of the men was the absolute favourite, but he was on the right side of the coin. "The final was very tough and we had a headwind for the most part. On the Moerslag I was really at my limit and in the sprint there wasn't much left in the last 100 meters, but apparently I pushed hard enough to cross the line first.”

The Alpecin rider is not only just taking a win, as the competition was difficult, the race was tactical, and Mauro Schmid is on the form of his life this year. It certainly boosts his reputation heading into his first key block of the year.

“I am certainly happy that I can tick that off now. Mauro is a world-class rider in races like this, so that makes it more prestigious. In Amstel [Gold Race], he also competes with the best riders at the front," he accesses.

The Dutchman was not selected into the cobbled classics next to Mathieu van der Poel, but has his own schedule with leading roles in races such as Amstel and De Brabantse Pijl. Can he repeat today's success? “I have to say that it was already very tough today, so it will be even tougher then. With all the really good climbers there, it will be a different story,”