Tibor Del Grosso will undoubtedly join the Christmas dinner in the best of spirits. The Dutch champion recorded his very first elite victory in a stage cyclocross race on Tuesday, defeating none other than Wout van Aert after an almost Hitchcockian finish. Del Grosso calls it an ‘insane day’ on social media.
In Heusden-Zolder, most eyes were on Wout van Aert, who, in the absence of world champion Mathieu van der Poel, was eager to claim his first seasonal win in cyclocross, but the Belgian had to concede to another Dutchman after a thrilling conclusion. Tibor Del Grosso proved to be just a fraction faster in the sprint than the man who has already scored so many wins both in cyclocross and on the road.
“What an insane day yesterday. It’s so cool to compete and race against a childhood hero,” Del Grosso rejoiced on X. “The 12-year-old Tibor would have been absolutely thrilled. Thank you, Zolder. Thank you, Wout van Aert, for a fantastic battle. I have enormous respect for you. And thanks to everyone around me for all the support.”
Insane day yesterday, so epic to be up there battling a childhood hero. 12-year-old Tibor would be absolutely pumped. Thank you Zolder. Thank you @WoutvanAert for a great battle, huge respect for you. And thanks to everyone in my corner for all the help, ya’ll know who you are 🫶🏼 pic.twitter.com/unq7YHyV8B
— Tibor Del Grosso (@tibordelgrosso) December 24, 2025
“It was really cool to sprint for the win for the first time in such a race,” Del Grosso said right after the finish in the flash interview with Telenet Play Sports. So the finish had to come down to a sprint, but Del Grosso was absolutely not affected by nerves. “I was fairly calm. I was happy that we had a good lead on the chasers. I could really play my cards right.”
Van Aert showed himself a worthy loser after the finish and had nothing but praise for Del Grosso. “Looking back, maybe I should have attacked earlier, but then there’s a danger I might have pulled Tibor along in my slipstream. It was just sport in its purest form. You absolutely must not underestimate the opposition. Tibor is a top talent, and now he’s showing he deserves it.”
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Telenet Superprestige Heusden-Zolder| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 58:48 | |
| 2 | " | |
| 3 | + 12 | |
| 4 | + 13 | |
| 5 | + 14 | |
| 6 | + 17 | |
| 7 | + 20 | |
| 8 | + 30 | |
| 9 | + 35 | |
| 10 | + 39 |
