Tibor Del Grosso has successfully defended his Dutch cyclocross title. At the National Championships in Huijbergen, he faced fierce competition from Lars van der Haar and Pim Ronhaar but ultimately came out on top.
With Mathieu van der Poel absent, there was one clear favorite for gold at the Dutch Nationals: Tibor Del Grosso. The multi-talented Alpecin-Deceuninck rider had won two stage races during the recent Christmas period. Joris Nieuwenhuis, who had struggled with injury lately, appeared on paper as his main rival. Other contenders included riders like Mees Hendrikx, Lars van der Haar, Pim Ronhaar, and Ryan Kamp.
David Haverdings got the best start, but Del Grosso soon took over. The defending champion immediately pushed hard. A gap opened up, but Nieuwenhuis bridged back before Haverdings, Kamp, Van der Haar, and Ronhaar also closed the gap. At the start of the second lap, six riders remained in the lead group. However, this situation would not last long.
Ronhaar chases Del Grosso
In the second lap, Del Grosso put in another strong effort. Nieuwenhuis stayed on his wheel but couldn’t hold on. Once again, Del Grosso was off on his own. Among the chasers, Ronhaar seemed to have the strongest legs and started a solo pursuit. He got closer to Del Grosso, and when the leader experienced a chain problem, the gap was nearly closed. However, closing the final distance proved no easy feat.
Pim Ronhaar - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
One lap later — at the start of lap six — Ronhaar finally closed the gap. We now had two leaders who would battle it out for the victory in the final laps. After his long chase, Ronhaar immediately took the lead and tried to pressure Del Grosso. The Baloise Insurance–Het Poetsbureau Lions rider couldn’t create a gap straight away, but then Del Grosso slipped. Suddenly, with four laps to go, Ronhaar was riding alone in front.
Van der Haar makes a late comeback
Del Grosso recovered the situation in the following lap. And one lap later, he pulled away from Ronhaar again. Meanwhile, Lars van der Haar was building momentum. The experienced rider closed the gap from the third group to Ronhaar in no time. The two Baloise Insurance–Het Poetsbureau Lions riders were five to six seconds behind Del Grosso with two laps to go.
Van der Haar still had something extra in the legs, as he dropped Ronhaar in the penultimate lap and went after Del Grosso. However, the leader didn’t falter and maintained his advantage. When the bell rang, he still held a six-second lead. Van der Haar got a bit closer in the final lap, but he couldn’t completely close the gap.
Thus, Del Grosso took his second consecutive Dutch cyclocross title. Van der Haar finished second, Ronhaar third. David Haverdings ended fourth, securing the under-23 title.
Dutch National Championships CX| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01:02:42 | |
| 2 | + 03 | |
| 3 | + 46 | |
| 4 | + 01:07 | |
| 5 | + 01:22 | |
| 6 | + 01:42 | |
| 7 | + 02:08 | |
| 8 | + 02:26 | |
| 9 | + 03:08 | |
| 10 | + 03:12 |
