Results Dutch National Championships | Tibor Del Grosso holds off Van der Haar to defend Dutch crown in Huijbergen

Tibor Del Grosso successfully defended his Dutch national cyclocross title in Huijbergen after a race that kept changing shape, with Pim Ronhaar and Lars van der Haar both taking turns at threatening his grip on the red, white and blue jersey.

With Mathieu van der Poel absent, Del Grosso started as the clear favourite. The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider had been one of the strongest men of the winter, including two overall wins during the Kerstperiode. Joris Nieuwenhuis was seen as his main rival on paper, with Van der Haar, Ronhaar, Mees Hendrikx and Ryan Kamp also in the mix.

David Haverdings made the fastest start, but Del Grosso quickly moved to the front and raised the tempo. A small gap opened, but Nieuwenhuis closed it, and soon Haverdings, Kamp, Van der Haar and Ronhaar were back in contact. After one lap, six riders were still together.

In the second lap, Del Grosso made his first real move. Nieuwenhuis tried to follow but could not hold the wheel, leaving Del Grosso alone. Behind him, Ronhaar looked the strongest of the chasers and went after the leader. He closed steadily, and when Del Grosso briefly had a chain problem, the gap almost disappeared.

By the start of lap six, Ronhaar finally made contact. After a long chase, he immediately went on the attack. He could not shake Del Grosso at first, but when Del Grosso slid out in a corner, Ronhaar suddenly found himself alone at the front with four laps still to race.

Del Grosso recovered quickly and closed back in the following lap. One lap later, he turned the tables and rode away from Ronhaar.

At the same time, Lars van der Haar was flying from behind. He bridged across to Ronhaar in no time. With two laps to go, the two Baloise Verzekeringen Het Poetsbureau riders were just five to six seconds behind Del Grosso.

Van der Haar then dropped Ronhaar and went alone in pursuit. Del Grosso, however, did not crack. At the bell, he still had around six seconds in hand. Van der Haar closed slightly in the final lap, but never fully bridged the gap.

Del Grosso held firm to take his second consecutive Dutch elite cyclocross title. Van der Haar finished second, Ronhaar third. David Haverdings crossed the line in fourth and secured the under-23 national title.