"If you don't know it's Del Grosso, you'd think it's Van der Poel" - Alpecin may be growing the next classics superstar
Cycling
Alpecin-Deceuninck have developed and nurtured the talent of Mathieu van der Poel to perfection and might be doing the same with another young talent. Far away from the spotlight, the team is seeing the fast rise of Tibor del Grosso, a compatriot of van der Poel's whose talent and evolution on the bike looks very similar to the one of the current cyclocross World Champion.
"If you don't know it's Del Grosso, you'd think it's Van der Poel," Nathan van Hooydonck said in the Derailleur podcast. "If you look at the way he sprints. He also sprints with his elbows a little outwards and with long strokes... It's really how Mathieu sprints. They also get along well. They're teammates, compatriots and they spend time together. I think they're going to follow a similar path."
Del Grosso is also a cyclocross specialist - and current under-23 World Champion - and besides his incredible talent off-road, his bike handling skills and fun on the bike are also evident; and this spring on the road he has already gone head-to-head with some of the best in the World Tour cobbled classics (with a sixth place at Dwars door Vlaanderen being the highlight). He was very close on two occasions to take his first pro win directly at the Volta a Catalunya, but has in the meantime done so at the Tour of Turkey.
"We can't make him too big yet, so he doesn't get too much pressure," Sep Vanmarcke argued. "Then he could only fail. But he's a huge talent, and someone you also like to see. Last week he won the sprint in the Tour of Turkey very convincingly. You can just see that he's a talent who could possibly make the connection with the top riders."
It is no doubt that the Belgian team is having a big talent developing, and the 21-year old's potential could well see him become yet another leader for Alpecin. "He exudes a lot of self-confidence. Everything goes easily and is fun. It is also no problem if a team starts working for him. And that as a first-year professional. That is also very important: that you can deal with a form of pressure."
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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