“It didn’t come without a fight” – Tibor Del Grosso’s Dutch title turns into a day of chaos and recovery

Tibor Del Grosso’s second straight Dutch national cyclocross title in Huijbergen was anything but smooth. What looked like control from a distance turned into a race full of problems, pressure and late doubt.

After holding off Pim Ronhaar through the middle phase and then surviving a strong late surge from Lars van der Haar, Del Grosso admitted the day demanded far more than he had expected. “Absolutely not,” he said in conversation with Wielerflits when asked if it had come easily.

Del Grosso had started as the clear favourite, but the race refused to follow a simple script. After early moves, Pim Ronhaar became his main rival, pushing him through the central part of the race.

“First I was on the road with Pim. I seemed to finally beat him, but then Lars came with a few very strong laps at the end,” Del Grosso said. “It certainly wasn’t easy.”

Just as he thought the danger had passed, the race changed again.

The pressure was not only coming from rivals. Del Grosso also had to fight his own setbacks. “I fell once as well. That wasn’t ideal. And then I also dropped my chain,” he said. “It didn’t go without a fight, but I had the feeling that it was a heavy, underestimated race for everyone.”

He explained the crash simply. “I just slid away. I tried to cross a rut, but it was too slippery, so I slid.”

Each problem forced Del Grosso to recover again, while knowing that Van der Haar was closing in the final laps.

Del Grosso said he never assumed the title was his, even before the start. “I knew I shouldn’t underestimate anyone,” said the 22-year-old, who had also been dealing with a cold in the build-up to the championships.

That feeling stayed with him until the very end, as Van der Haar’s late charge brought real doubt back into the race.

Winning again meant more to Del Grosso than just another result. “That means a lot. It is very special to ride in such a special jersey, on a special bike,” he said.

After a race defined by crashes, chain trouble and late pressure from two of the strongest riders in the country, Del Grosso’s second Dutch title was not about dominance. It was about handling everything that went wrong and still finding a way to come back.