Not Wout van Aert, but Tibor Del Grosso has claimed victory at the Superprestige in Heusden-Zolder. The Dutch champion won his first GC cyclocross at the elite level after a fantastic duel with the Belgian, a battle decided only by a razor-sharp sprint finish.
After the recent displays of the unbeatable Mathieu van der Poel, cyclocross fans were gearing up for a potentially thrilling race on Tuesday. The world champion was notably absent from Heusden-Zolder, opening the door for Thibau Nys and… Wout van Aert! The latter was given a prime opportunity to notch his first win of the cyclocross season. His performance at the X2O-cross in Hofstade certainly boded well.
Van Aert and his company were presented with a true cyclocross classic in Heusden-Zolder. Following the motto ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ the course remained approximately 2.7 kilometers long. In Zolder, riders traditionally face a high-speed race, not least due to the long start and finish sections on the asphalt of the Formula 1 circuit, yet there were still plenty of obstacles along the way.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2025 |  Tibor Del Grosso |
| 2023 |  Wout van Aert |
| 2022 | Wout van Aert |
| 2021 | Wout van Aert |
| 2020 | Mathieu van der Poel |
| 2019 | Mathieu van der Poel |
| 2018 | Mathieu van der Poel |
| 2017 | Mathieu van der Poel |
| 2016 | Wout van Aert |
| 2015 | Mathieu van der Poel |
Van Aert misses his start
Before the start, all eyes were on Van Aert, but the Belgian got off to a shaky start and had to fight his way forward through the pack. This proved to be quite challenging early on, forcing Van Aert into a chase from a very early stage. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider quickly started picking off rider after rider but was nonetheless faced with a considerable pursuit.
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Three riders were still up ahead from Van Aert’s chase group: Tibor Del Grosso, Kevin Kuhn, and Felipe Orts. Under the momentum of a now fully warmed-up Van Aert, a regrouping happened on the third lap. The three-time world champion bridged the gap and hauled along with him, among others, Michael Vanthourenhout, Thibau Nys, and Niels Vandeputte.
But then pushes the pace
However, this did not signal Van Aert to take the lead and escalate the pace immediately. The Kempen rider was initially cautious, but in the fourth lap, he certainly threw a serious spanner in the works. Van Aert’s relentless pressure paid off, as only one rider could keep up: Del Grosso. The Dutch champion continued to look exceptionally sharp and showed no signs of weakening.
No matter what Van Aert tried in the remaining laps, he couldn’t shake off a strong Del Grosso. Thus, the two main contenders for the win entered the final lap together. Del Grosso took on the lion's share of the work at the front in this last lap but did so with measured reserve, wary of an attack from Van Aert.
Thrilling finale
The Belgian decided to launch his move at the technical area, just before the climb of the angled slope. Del Grosso appeared briefly surprised but managed to respond, albeit cautiously, to Van Aert’s acceleration. On the asphalt, Van Aert pushed hard once again, but the tenacious Del Grosso held tight to the rear wheel of his Belgian rival. This set the stage for a sprint on the racing circuit to decide who would take the win in Zolder.
In a nail-biting sprint for victory, it was unclear for a long time who would cross the line first, but the younger Del Grosso ultimately had just a slight edge over his competitor nine years his senior.
Van Aert therefore had to settle once again for the most thankless podium spot. Michael Vanthourenhout finished third, gaining valuable points towards the overall Superprestige victory. For Del Grosso, this marks his first win in an elite GC cyclocross.
🚵🇧🇪 | An electrifying final sprint in Heusden-Zolder! Tibor del Grosso just holds off Wout van Aert, but it’s a photo finish. What an incredible cyclocross race in Belgium!
📺 Stream cyclocross on HBO Max! pic.twitter.com/EViBG1F4OK
— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) December 23, 2025
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
The margin at the line was razor-thin - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
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 |
