"We were helped quite a bit": Tibor Del Grosso admits camera motos could've played a major role at Brabantse Pijl
Cycling
The results of 2026 Brabantse Pijl hardly make justice to how close we've come to having the race blow completely open with 30 kilometers to go. It was there, during a penultimate Moskestraat passage that Romain Grégoire provoked a key move which included most of the pre-race favourites. Including Alpecin-Premier Tech's talented youngster Tibor Del Grosso.
However, the promising escape was eventually reeled in with one kilometer to go, as several teams showed interest in guiding this year's edition to a bunch sprint finale - among them most prominent were the efforts of EF Education-EasyPost, Unibet Rose Rockets, and Jayco AlUla. The Australian team's investment eventually paid off the most with a rather surprising winner in Anders Foldager.
Del Grosso himself rolled over the finish line in a 19th place, even though it seemed that a lot more was possible today. "It was a good effort," he commented afterwards at Wielerflits. "But with the headwind in the final, it’s tough for a small group against the peloton."
The Dutchman tried to play his card tactically, saving a little for the final uphill drag sprint against his equally fast rivals, but that ended up unnecessary. "I still had something left for the sprint, but I just couldn’t get through."
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The Belgian 1.Pro race produced multiple iconic moments in the past editions. Van Aert-Pidcock photofinish, or Evenepoel's sprint victory over Van Aert just to name a few.
But the Flemish races have also become infamous due to organizer's often influencing results via camera motorbikes unfairly providing cover for riders by riding too close in front of them. Was this also the case here at Brabantse Pijl?
According to some riders, the Brabantse Pijl resembled a derny race. Does Del Grosso share the opinion? "I don’t know how much the peloton rode behind the motorcycle, but we did quite a bit, yes. When those three rode away behind the motorcycle with that Uno-X rider, I knew I had to join them in the final."
All in all, the Dutchman looks back on a good day. "The form was good and I thought it was an enjoyable race. We rode a good race, but it is a shame that it just didn't quite work out," he concludes, looking ahead to Amstel Gold Race on Sunday.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses 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.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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