From Honorable Mention to Winner: Tibor Del Grosso Must Find Mathieu van der Poel’s Killer Instinct
Youri IJnsen
Tibor Del Grosso and Mathieu van der Poel are racing together for the first time this week at the Renewi Tour 2025. One of the biggest Dutch talents can learn the ropes from our national world-class rider. National coaches Koos Moerenhout (road) and Gerben de Knegt (cyclocross and mountain biking) hope the young rider will pick up a lot from MVDP in the coming days, they told WielerFlits.
In the first stage, however, the two didn’t have much to do with each other. Del Grosso was part of the breakaway after some echelons formed, while Van der Poel spent the entire day in the peloton. “I mainly think it’s nice for Tibor to race alongside Mathieu once,” De Knegt points out, who has known both riders well for years. “Now he can ride next to Mathieu, chat with him during and outside of the race, that kind of thing. What he can learn then will naturally come up. Knowing Tibor, if he wants to learn something, he will definitely ask questions. Del Grosso is smart enough for that.”
“A situation where you spend a few days together is ideal for that,” De Knegt continues. “Not necessarily during the race, but especially afterwards. Sitting together at dinner, asking how this or that happened. If Tibor wants to know something, he’ll naturally fill his backpack by asking questions. Mathieu, on the other hand, isn’t someone who just freely hands out tips. But if you ask him something, he will always answer. I also know Mathieu as someone who recognizes Tibor’s talent. So in that respect, it’s great that they’re riding together this week,” he says about the two cyclocross riders.
Del Grosso was part of the first echelon on Wednesday – photo: Cor Vos
Not a clone of MVDP
Koos Moerenhout agrees. “Mathieu and Tibor both race on feel. I see a lot of similarities between the two. What Tibor can mainly learn from Mathieu is how to handle pressure. That’s something Mathieu always has a lot of. He has a different status than Tibor. We all tend to underestimate that. Wherever Mathieu goes, people expect him to win. But he still has to earn it first. Mathieu also has to work incredibly hard to achieve success. Except the pressure to perform is always incredibly high for him.”
“For Tibor, it’s interesting to see how Mathieu copes with that,” Moerenhout points out. “Especially how he manages to maintain enjoyment by approaching races in different ways. The main thing is that he should not become a clone of Mathieu but should remain Tibor Del Grosso. He’s doing very well, and his development within the pro peloton is also fast. Tibor shows interesting attributes. For a type like him, it’s important to allow himself rest so that he can keep developing in the coming years.”
‘Try to ride the finale together’
Moerenhout also confirms that despite his status, Van der Poel is approachable to others. At championships, he is always part of the team, not standing above it as a team leader. De Knegt especially hopes that Del Grosso picks up some of Van der Poel’s mentality this week. “Tibor needs to aim for a good result on one of the days. And I hope he mainly learns from Mathieu how to win a race. Tibor has done really well so far. He is the seventh-best Dutch rider on the UCI Ranking, and he’s a first-year neo-pro. That’s seriously impressive!”
Mathieu van der Poel defeated the entire world top in the second stage of the Tour de France – photo: Cor Vos
“But so far, he’s only won one race, that stage in the Tour of Turkey,” De Knegt continues. “And he has finished second or in other short podium positions multiple times. While Mathieu is really more of a finisher. So it would be great if he especially learns from Mathieu’s killer instinct this week. Due to his status and manner, Mathieu is always undeniably the leader. Everyone falls into the role of helping him. That’s something you have to earn too. That’s where Tibor needs to work in the coming time, to rise in the hierarchy. You do that by winning when you get the chances.”
It’s well-meant advice from De Knegt, who took Del Grosso under his wing during his youth years. “Tibor is doing fantastic because even second places are really impressive. He himself is frustrated about that. But if in the Renewi Tour he once gets really close to victory – provided that it fits within the role Alpecin-Deceuninck has assigned to him – or if he can stick with Mathieu in the finale as the last man and help him to the win, then this race will be more than successful. It would at least be great if Tibor and Mathieu find each other in the finale.”
| 1 | - | 03:39:55 | |
| 2 | - | + 02 | |
| 3 | - | + 03 | |
| 4 | - | + 04 | |
| 5 | - | + 06 | |
| 27 | - | + 10 | |
| 29 | - | " |
