Is Tibor del Grosso the successor to Mathieu van der Poel? "It is clear they are opening a can of talents at Alpecin"

Tibor del Grosso has already made his presence felt this year. After already making a good impression in 2024, the rider from Alpecin-Deceuninck has now ridden himself fully into the spotlight.

Earlier this cycling season, he excelled in cyclocross, but now he is mainly showing his qualities on the road. The Dutchman is still very young compared to the rest of the peloton, yet still, he impresses other riders. Not only in the Netherlands, but also in Belgium the admiration for his talent is growing.

Marc Sergeant saw Tibor del Grosso make a good impression in the Tour of Limburg. Towards the end of the race the Dutchman took the initiative by closing the gap to the leading group.

"That effort by Tibor del Grosso in the penultimate lap was really necessary, because otherwise those four breakaway riders had a chance to stay in front," the Belgian cycling analyst analysed in Het Nieuwsblad. "Also in the last lap, Del Grosso was clearly the best man in the race in the hill and cobblestone zone. Only he was unlucky that the last ten kilometers were almost one straight line, with moreover the wind at his back."

Of course, it is still very early in the season, but the AlpecinDeceuninck sport director sees that Del Grosso feels at home within the team. "DelGrosso is yet another crosser that the Roodhooft brothers are taking from the field to the road. Another top talent, that's obvious. He had already won a stage at the Tour of Catalonia. It is clear that they are opening a can of talent atAlpecin-Deceuninck. And again a lot of guys who come from the field and also excel on the road," said the Belgian.

In fact, Marc Sergeant already sees a successor to Mathieu van der Poel for the future in Del Grosso. "Mathieu van der Poel is obviously the big example, but after Gianni Vermeersch and Quinten Hermans, so now you have Timo Kielich and Tibor del Grosso again. How do you make the transition from crosser to road rider? No team has a better grasp of that thanAlpecin-Deceuninck."

Looking at this spring's results, Alpecin-Deceuninck may be the team to look up to most in2025. "It's still amazing how they controlled Paris-Roubaix last Sunday and do the same thing four days later in Ronde van Limburg," said Sergeant,who in the past saw a Van der Poel you can compare to the DelGrosso of today.

"I know we participated in this race with Lotto back in 2014. We had Greg Henderson with us as a sprinter. We thought he could not be beaten. Who won? Mathieu van der Poel, 19 years old."