Tibor Del Grosso may well be the greatest Dutch cycling talent at the moment, and expectations are high, including from his own team Alpecin-Deceuninck. Brothers Christoph and Philip Roodhooft are eagerly looking forward to the young rider’s further development.
This is evident from a passage in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, following the election of 'Team Manager of the Year', one of the subcategories of the Kristallen Fiets. The interview discusses Del Grosso, who in 2025 completed his first season as a pro.
The 22-year-old certainly did not go unnoticed. Del Grosso secured his first professional victory at the Tour of Turkey and achieved 24(!) top ten finishes on the road, with podiums at the Tour of Catalonia, a sixth place in Dwars door Vlaanderen, and a tenth place in the Brabantse Pijl as his main highlights.
Christoph Roodhooft hopes the versatile Dutchman can take an extra step forward in 2026. “We are also looking forward to the further development of Tibor Del Grosso. Put him alongside the current peloton, of that level at such a young age, in the races where we want to be active.” Philip adds: “Matthew Brennan, Paul Magnier… He belongs in that group.”
Not jumping the gun
The all-rounder himself keeps both feet on the ground. “Although expectations for young riders nowadays are much higher. That’s because young guys like Remco Evenepoel, Tadej Pogacar, Isaac Del Toro, and Paul Seixas deliver top performances so early,” he says in an interview in the winter magazine of RIDE Magazine.
“I really didn’t expect to be racing finals at that level so quickly. In Catalonia, I was already close to winning stages a few times and a few days later I finished top ten in Dwars door Vlaanderen. From that moment on, it suddenly seemed to be the norm. People quickly forget how young you still are.”
