Tibor Del Grosso admitted he deliberately looked to pressure Thibau Nys into a mistake on the slick banks in Hulst, and felt that approach paid off when a last-lap error finally decided their long duel for the silver medal at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships.
Del Grosso, a double under-23 world champion stepping into his first elite Worlds, played his part early as the Dutch moved to the front and split the race in the opening exchanges, before Mathieu van der Poel rode away to an historic eighth elite world title.
“We really put each other on the limit. It made it more satisfying after a hard battle. The spectators really liked that there was some battle going on,” Del Grosso said.
Race story
For much of the afternoon, the story behind Van der Poel was a tense, tactical match-up between Del Grosso and Nys. The Belgian repeatedly applied pressure, at times looking the sharper rider through specific sections, while the Dutchman backed himself to claw time back on climbs and technical lines that rewarded traction and composure.
Del Grosso felt tyre choice and tread became a key detail as conditions turned more slippery.
“Thibau was on slightly less tread than me. I think he struggled a little bit more when the course got more slippery and I also knew that I had to take some advantage out of that and hopefully force him into making a mistake. I was quite happy he did in the end.”
That decisive moment finally arrived late, with Del Grosso describing how he aimed to position himself first into the crucial sections and make Nys respond under stress.
“There were a few sections where I thought that Thibau was a bit faster than me and put me under pressure… I saved it for the last lap. I really tried to get there first and try and force him into making a mistake.”
What the silver says about Del Grosso’s leap
The medal caps a rapid rise for the 22-year-old, who has looked increasingly at home in the elite ranks this winter. He has stacked big results across the season, and arrived at Worlds believing he belongs among the very best.
“It was quite cool to make such a step up. I think it proves that I belong in the top of the sport… I really would like to become world champion in the elites one day as well.
“It’s quite nice to make big steps so soon and be quite close and to be up there already as a first year elite.”
Del Grosso also pushed back on comparisons with his team leader, even if he accepted the compliment.
“It’s a compliment being compared to Mathieu, but it’s a bit incomprehensible how good he is… it’s a bit of an unfair comparison. I think you can only disappoint when you get compared to someone that great. I don’t think I’ll ever become as good as Mathieu, but it would be nice to come close to his level.”
Van der Poel’s ‘no risks’ route to a record eighth title
Up the road, Van der Poel said he rode a deliberately conservative, low-risk race on a course that punished over-commitment, especially on the descents and banks.
“I was prepared for any scenario. I made a decision before the race not to jump the planks,” he said.
“It’s a world championships, so I tried to be as cautious as possible… I really tried to avoid taking any risks. Maybe if it was another race, I would just jump the barriers, for example.”
Afterwards, he also hinted again at the mental and physical cost of peaking for winter goals, and raised the possibility of skipping a cyclo-cross winter to better shape his spring on the road.
“Maybe it’s not a bad idea to skip one winter because to be here it’s the first peak of my season always, not only physically, but also mentally… you’re always thinking about two things, trying to be the best possible shape at these world championships and also the road season is not so far away.”
UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships 2026 Men results
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Main photo credit: Getty
