“I can’t really complain, but I wanted to win” – Tibor Del Grosso reflects on Dendermonde second place

Tibor Del Grosso accepted second place at the UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dendermonde with mixed emotions, after seeing his chances complicated by a late puncture before eventually being beaten in the sprint by Thibau Nys.

“The puncture came at an unlucky moment,” Del Grosso said after the finish to Sporza. “Those seconds were hard to make up. Fortunately I didn’t lose too many positions and I could get back into the race in one go.”

The Dutch rider had been one of the most consistent presences in the front group throughout a race that refused to break apart, repeatedly responding to accelerations and remaining well positioned as others were forced to chase. Even after the mechanical setback, Del Grosso limited the damage quickly enough to reinsert himself into the decisive phase. “I rode a really good race to finish second,” he said. “But you need everything to beat Thibau, and I just didn’t quite have that in the end.”

That final duel came down to positioning and speed in the closing metres, where Nys’ sharpness proved decisive on the fast Dendermonde circuit. “If there’s one person who’s very good in a 100-metre sprint like that, it’s Thibau,” Del Grosso added. “I can’t really complain, but of course I would have liked to win.”

Laurens Sweeck completed the podium in third place after briefly holding the front in the closing stages, before being overhauled by Nys’ final acceleration.

“I tried to stay at the front, but Thibau still had one acceleration more,” Sweeck said. “I couldn’t answer that.”

With the race remaining tightly packed deep into the final lap, Sweeck underlined how quickly fortunes can swing on a circuit where passing opportunities are limited.

“On a course like this, you can just as easily finish tenth,” he said. “Then those are very expensive points. I think I still do a good piece of business.”

For Del Grosso, the result combined frustration and reassurance. A podium place confirmed his form in a crowded World Cup field, even if the final step proved just out of reach on a day where precision and sprinting speed ultimately decided the outcome.