Two jerseys, but Dutch champion Del Grosso knows the difference: "How? The elite one is just a bit bigger"

On Sunday, 21-year-old Dutchman Tibor Del Grosso put on an impressive performance in order to claim the Dutch National Championships Cyclo-cross. He defeated Pim Ronhaar in the final lap,  and secured the red-white-and-blue jersey not once but twice, as he also competed in the U23 category. Shortly after crowning himself the new Dutch champion, a delighted Del Grosso spoke with IDLProCycling.com.

With two red-white-and-blue jerseys draped over his Alpecin-Deceuninck jeans-blue kit and two medals around his neck, Del Grosso was the star of Sunday’s championship in Oisterwijk, the Netherlands. But how does he tell the jerseys and medals apart? "I know which is which, haha. How? The elite jersey is just a bit bigger," he said with a laugh. And how will the 21-year-old celebrate his achievement? "How am I going to celebrate? Probably with something tasty to eat. Pizza."

"It's very special," states Del Grosso. He is the reigning U23 world champion, and was already considered a favorite for this championship due to his recent successes. "I didn’t necessarily feel pressure, but I was a bit nervous. I really wanted to win. If I’d finished second or third, that would’ve been okay too," he admitted.

It was a thrilling race. "I was hoping to compete for the win, but there were a lot of guys riding hard, so it was difficult to create a gap. I saved some energy for the final lap, hoping I could strike there."

"I still had hope as we entered the last lap, but it certainly wasn’t easy," the eventual winner said, catching his breath. "It was very exciting at the end because I constantly felt like Pim could still pass me. It wasn’t until after the final corner that I knew I had it. There were a few sections near the end where I felt I could take the corners faster," he said about his duel with Ronhaar, which included shoulder-to-shoulder action. "We kept it fair, but it was on the edge."

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Del Grosso definitely won't do elite-level Worlds: "Impossible to win with Van der Poel at the start"

Del Grosso’s star has been rising (or should we say riding) quickly, which is also clear from his recent near-victory in Koksijde. "I surprise myself often enough. This was one of the toughest races of the year, and Pim, Joris, and Lars were all riding very strongly. None of us could drop the others, so it came down to giving everything in the final lap. I tried once in that last lap, but I made a mistake, which allowed Pim to really put some pressure on me. He even gained a few seconds, so I had to work hard, but at the same time, I had to stay calm."

There has been talk of Del Grosso racing in the elite category at the World Championships, but he is not a fan of that idea. "That’s not an option. I want to race a World Championship to win, and with Mathieu van der Poel at the start, that’s nearly impossible in the elite category. I’d rather take another shot at becoming world champion in the U23 category. It’s a tough choice, and winning this national championship makes you doubt the decision a bit, but Mathieu is a big factor. I’ll race in the elite category for the next 15 years, so I hope that opportunity will come later."

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