"Take it easy": Van der Poel's domestique tempers expectations ahead of season-opening cross in Namur

Tibor del Grosso has stepped into the World Tour this year with Alpecin-Deceuninck, and he has immediately proved his quality. The Dutchman was a very valuable domestique for Van der Poel, and he also delivered when given the opportunity, as he secured his first professional victory in Turkey.

He is also a cyclocross specialist, and this year he is starting his season in Namur, same as Van der Poel. He announced it earlier this week, and he accompanied it with the words “Take it easy,” a message he insists was deliberate. "I deliberately added that, so people wouldn't expect too much right away. To be honest, I really can't say where I am in my preparations," he said in an interview to Wielerflits.

Del Grosso’s name was prominently mentioned by experienced riders Lars van der Haar and Toon Aerts, who both identified him as a potential challenger to Mathieu van der Poel once the Dutch star returns to competition. Del Grosso appreciates the comments but does not expect being able to contest Van der Poel this weekend.

“That’s a nice compliment,” he said, "but I don’t think that will already be the case in Namur. That would surprise me. Last year [he finished fifth], I didn't feel like I rode a great cyclocross race at the Citadel either. I might also have been lucky that a few strong guys had a slightly off day or fell. That might give a distorted picture of the result."

After finishing his gravel campaign in mid-October, Del Grosso took a rest period before resuming training in November. As a result, he has completed around six weeks of preparation, which are almost two weeks less than last year. "You don't want to, and you can't, rush the training if you want to be in good shape for a whole period in the spring. That's why I don't think I'm in top form yet."

Additionally, his training has not been focused on cyclocross so far. "During the training camp in Spain, we mainly did a lot of long training sessions on the road. I had a great time there, but it hasn't really been cyclocross-specific yet. I went into the woods twice when I was in the Netherlands for a while. But that's about it. That's not much, I realize. But hopefully, with a few cyclocross races under my belt, that feeling will come."

Asked whether he measures himself against Mathieu van der Poel, Del Grosso dismissed the idea. "Not much. He's not the best one to compare to, I think. I wouldn't dare say I'll be any closer. Certainly not at first; I hope they'll give me time. Expectations for young riders are often high."

Despite winning the under-23 world title in Liévin last season, this will be his first full elite cyclocross season. "I haven't even won an elite cyclocross race yet, not counting the National Championships. Those are all steps I still have to take. The elite races are very different from the U23 races. I'm really looking forward to seeing what it will be, especially since I get to ride in my red, white, and blue jersey right away, but my first ambition is simply to ride a good cyclocross race."

Asked whether cyclocross might become secondary to his road career, del Grosso confirmed he plans to balance both of them. "I take cyclocross quite seriously. Actually, I have equal ambitions to reach the top in both disciplines. An hour of cyclocross is still more fun for me than a road race, but they're both slightly different. On the road, the satisfaction of a victory might be a bit greater. But the two disciplines don't clash. In recent years, I've always done well on the road after cyclocross. So I see no reason to change that," he concluded.