"Just as good as the first world title" - Tibor del Grosso goes back-to-back with second U23 World Championship win

For the second year running, Tibor del Grosso has proved strongest of the bunch in the men's under 23 race at the Cyclocross World Championships. In truth, the Dutch star took a dominant victory on Saturday afternoon in Lievin ahead of Kay De Bruyckere and Jente Michels.

"It feels really good, just as good as the first world title. It was also a fair race. I think the best cyclocross rider wins on this course," reflected Del Grosso in his post-race interview afterwards. "I could ride at my own pace and that worked well. The conditions had changed a bit compared to the reconnaissance. The first lap was difficult because of that, but I was able to find the right lines quickly."

Del Grosso was also asked to give his thoughts on Sunday's men's elite World Championship race as his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Mathieu van der Poel does battle with Wout van Aert. “Well, I don’t know how good Wout is,” laughs Del Grosso honestly. "But it is certainly also a good course for Mathieu."