Titles for Bentveld and Del Grosso, but under-23s remain neglected at the National Championships: "It doesn't even matter where you finish"

After the race, both were draped in the red, white, and blue jersey and announced on the podium as the under-23 champions of the National Championships in the Netherlands. Leonie Bentveld and Tibor del Grosso are the best for a year in an age category that in the Netherlands is somewhat under-recognized. Both finished in the top ten of the elite race but still had reason to celebrate. IDLProCycling.com caught up with them.

In the elite women's race, Lucinda Brand won, with Bentveld finishing in the second half of the top ten. "On a really good day, I might have been able to compete for the podium in the elite category. That's a great ambition, but the main thing was to perform well among the under-23s. When I realized I was no longer in contention for the podium, it didn't matter much to me whether I finished sixth or seventh. Then, it's about finishing safely, without any mechanical problems. The fight was already over," Bentveld candidly reflected on her day. "I was disappointed that we (the elites and U23 category, ed.) raced together in one race, it's important to learn how to control a race yourself. That's not the case with the elites."

She admits it's an unusual way to race. In this way, the National Championship felt more like a race to check off, compared to, for example, the World Championships, where the under-23 category will have its own race in February. "The National Championship is always special, but the World Championship is a bigger goal. Still, this is my seventh consecutive national title (including youth and juniors), which is quite unique. Everyone expects it from me, but everything has to go right on such a day. So, I'm very happy, and now the goal is to maintain the lead in the World Cup for under-23s. Then, the World Championship, with hopes for a podium and maybe even a win…"

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Del Grosso calls the U23 race "mentally special"

In the men's race, it was Del Grosso who came in as the best U23 rider in the elite race. He was also the pre-race favorite, although he finished fifth among the elites. "I had hoped to stay with the top three a bit longer, but it was chaos right from the start. I got pushed around a bit, and they crashed in front of me twice. Due to illness this week, I wasn't at my best, and everything should have been perfect for me to compete in the elite race. If the course had been a bit faster and more tactical... Now it was quite fair, I was quite far behind."

So, Del Grosso ended up in a battle for fourth place with Ryan Kamp. "This is more than a consolation prize, it's the most important thing today. It remains special, especially mentally, that it doesn't really matter whether you finish fourth or fifth in the race, as long as you're leading among the U23 riders," he acknowledges. There wasn't really a favorite status for him. "I was also the favorite in the last World Cup races, so it wasn't any different. I was more concerned about being sick this week. I had the flu on Tuesday, so I had serious doubts about starting. It wasn't ideal, but I was able to ride again from Thursday. It was good enough. And it was nice that it was here in Hoogeveen, a home race for me. I heard my name a lot, and I could sleep at my mother's house."