Mathieu van der Poel teammate Tibor Del Grosso reacts to first weekend with the rainbow jersey: "I hope to make a step up to the elites"
Cycling
Cyclocross may have its new star in the form of Tibor Del
Grosso. The Dutch 21 year old is currently the World under 23 cyclocross
champion, and wore his new rainbow jersey for the first time in Tabor where he
won on Saturday. And then in the senior race in the World Cup Namur, he managed
a very respectable fifth place.
Riding for Alpecin-Deceuninck will of course mean he remains
in the shadow of the dominant Mathieu van der Poel for some time, but the team
will be happy they have another potential cyclocross star in the making in Del
Grosso.
“It went well. Cyclocross is never easy and it felt a bit
tough on my back, but I have nothing to complain about,” Del Grosso told In de
Leiderstrui after his opening weekend of the season. “I quickly had a gap and
could therefore choose my pace a bit, but it was still quite a struggle.
“It's cool in that rainbow jersey anyway. Everyone knows
that jersey and it attracts a lot of attention, so that was cool.”
Is Tibor Del Grosso the man to replace Mathieu van der Poel?
But is Del Grosso ready to make a permanent jump to the
elite? He finished inside a minute of the winner Michael Vanthourenhout on
Sunday, and that will have given him confidence that he can get closer and
closer throughout this winter.
“The World Cup is always the biggest race and I also hope to
make a step up between the elites. I have received a lot of questions before
the season about whether I would still ride with the U23s, but if it goes well,
I will still be elite for fifteen years. So I still have plenty of time for
that.
“Maybe I'll only be world champion once in my life and then
I want to ride in that jersey a few times,” he continued. “The great thing is
that it's easy to combine: I ride half with the U23s and the other half with
the elite."
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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