“It was a special moment”: Tibor del Grosso reflects on fleeting Maasmechelen lead as Van der Poel rewrites history

For a brief spell in Maasmechelen, Tibor del Grosso found himself in a position few riders have occupied this winter, alone at the front with Mathieu van der Poel temporarily out of the picture. It did not last, but it said plenty about the race, and about the rider who ultimately reclaimed control.

Del Grosso moved into the lead after Van der Poel suffered one of two punctures that defined his most dramatic outing of the season. The opportunity was real, even if the reality of what was coming quickly set in. “It was special for a moment,” Del Grosso admitted afterwards. “But I realised quite quickly that Thibau and Niels were coming back. And Mathieu was also coming quickly.”

That awareness did not stop Del Grosso from committing fully to the moment. With Van der Poel chasing and Thibau Nys and Niels Vandeputte closing in, the Dutch rider chose to ride his own race rather than wait for the inevitable.

“Did I think about winning? Yes, definitely,” he said. “And I tried as well. It just wasn’t hard enough.”

Those words neatly captured the dynamic of the day. Maasmechelen offered openings, but only briefly, and only to those prepared to take risks. Del Grosso did exactly that, riding assertively when the race fractured and forcing Van der Poel to work his way back the hard way.

Del Grosso’s perspective mattered because it came from inside the race rather than from the outside looking in. He saw first hand how quickly the balance shifted once Van der Poel began his recovery, and how little margin there was for error when the world champion lifted the pace again.

Within a lap, the race had been reset. Van der Poel closed the gap, regrouped, and later delivered the decisive move that carried him clear to his 50th World Cup victory. What looked like a genuine opening became another example of how difficult he is to contain even on his most vulnerable days.

For Del Grosso, the moment at the front was still meaningful. It offered a measure of where he stands, and how small the margins are at the very top of the sport. For Van der Poel, it was another reminder that even when control is stripped away by punctures and pressure, his presence alone reshapes the race.

Maasmechelen will be remembered for Van der Poel matching a legendary record. But for those who briefly rode ahead of him, it also underlined a simple truth of this winter: chances exist, but they close fast, and sooner or later, everything bends back towards the same rider.