“At that age, Mathieu had already become world champion twice” – Dutch coach calms expectations for…

“At that age, Mathieu had already become world champion twice” – Dutch coach calms expectations for ‘new Van der Poel’ Tibor del Grosso

Mathieu van der Poel’s stranglehold over the sport of cyclocross doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon, but the clamour for the next generation of stars is already growing. One of those with the biggest expectations is Van der Poel’s own Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate, Tibor del Grosso.

“Let me guess: you want to know if he is the new Mathieu van der Poel?” Dutch national coach Gerben de Knegt laughs when asked about Del Grosso and his potential by Sporza. “No, nobody can compare you to Mathieu. Mathieu is above everything and everyone. At that age, Mathieu had already become world champion among the pros twice .”

That’s not to say that Del Grosso doesn’t have a significant potential in the sport though. “Tibor really enjoys the combination of road and field and the fun radiates from him,” De Knegt continues his analysis. “We talk regularly and I have a very good connection with him. But Tibor is smart and picks up things from everyone and everywhere, not just me.”

De Knegt has personal experience of working with Del Grosso too, so knows exactly how good the Dutchman can be. “I trained him for two years, although it was mainly mental support,” he explains. “Tibor comes from a family of divorced parents where the home situation was not always easy. He had a hard time for a while. The combination of training and schoolwork did not go smoothly. As a second-year junior, he suffered a major setback. I’m talking about the corona period around 2020 and 2021, when the World Championship in Ostend was cancelled for juniors. Otherwise, he would have already shown his talent there.”

As such, De Knegt is certain Del Grosso is set for big things. “That is beyond doubt for me and that is exactly why I have always been surprised that he has remained under the radar for so long. If you know anything about cycling and follow cycling a little bit, you saw that very early on. But his career has had an atypical course so far,” he says. “Tibor may come across as a bit phlegmatic and some people see him as a talker, but that’s just not true. He’s calm, but he knows exactly what he wants and he goes for it. On the bike he is a killer. Look at the National Championships: when things get exciting, he is there completely. He has a plan ready and he executes it.”