Now a two-time under-23 cyclocross world champion, Tibor Del Grosso is aiming to ‘get to the highest’ of each the highway and cyclocross disciplines and can open his WorldTour profession at Paris-Nice subsequent month.
The 21-year-old Alpecin-Deceuninck rider took his first two .2-level wins final season on the Gran Premio New York City one-day race and prologue of the Oberösterreich Rundfahrt, additionally ending runner-up within the SD WORX BW Classic.
A dominant cyclo-cross season has seen Del Grosso win each under-23 occasion he entered and the elite Dutch National Championship.
With a rising repute, Del Grosso is tempering his expectations and being lifelike in regards to the stage he can attain heading into 2025, with out placing extreme strain on himself for the highway season.
“I discover expectations tough. I simply hope to develop into the most effective model of myself,” he mentioned. “Whether I can get to the highest on the highway and the cross, the long run will inform that now. But that’s actually my ambition. To sometime run to the highest of the elite.
“My ‘cross season is over, so I’ll take some relaxation and construct up in the direction of the highway season and hopefully have some enjoyable and develop.
“I’m unsure if I’ve particular races [to target]. I simply hope to possibly do nicely in a few of the smaller races after which be there to assist the workforce within the larger races. I begin in Paris-Nice, that will likely be a tricky first race, it can simply be studying and I hope so as to add one thing to the workforce.”
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Del Grosso is aiming to be the most recent multi-discipline star on the Alpecin-Deceuninck roster, following within the footsteps of Mathieu van der Poel.
“The highway calendar might get a little bit of precedence,” added Del Grosso. “As quickly because the cross season begins, I all the time go for that with the total 100%. That will stay.
“I additionally assume it is simply unbelievable to mix them each. In winter I’m trying ahead to the highway season and summer season in the direction of ‘cross.
“That’s the right mixture for me.”
Del Grosso received his second U23 males’s Cyclo-cross World Championship title in Liévin on Saturday, driving clear from his opponents on the primary lap and pulling a successful hole out of 56 seconds.
After additionally successful the under-23 World Cup general and European Championships he was the agency favorite heading to France, with the expectation of a nation on his shoulders.
“It’s all the time constructive, and when you’re considerably within the highlight, you then’re in all probability doing one thing proper,” he mentioned.
“Hopefully. I can take that with me. The strain was additionally there final 12 months [at Worlds]. And I felt this each race.
“So that is the place I simply specific myself. Of course, it retains up when you’ve got a lot enjoyable. Then that focus can be added.
“I’d quite be a favorite on a course like this, then you need to hit the favorite. So that is all wonderful with me.”
Del Grosso was firmly in management in Liévin and confirmed composure to maintain including to his benefit by way of the technical sections of the course. With a mix of brief steep banks, technical sections and rideable grassland, the Dutchman was capable of showcase his array of skills.
“It was the right race for me,” Del Grosso added.
“I’ve to say that I used to be extra nervous earlier than the beginning than earlier than a traditional World Cup. But I believe I’m virtually on the right course. So I had it underneath management.
“I had by no means raced right here earlier than. So that was a shock once we went right here. But I used to be very pleasantly stunned. I believe it’s the nicest World Championships course I’ve ridden thus far. It was simply difficult and in addition very sincere.”
Still solely 21, Del Grosso additionally revealed that he plans to proceed competing within the under-23 class subsequent ‘cross season, regardless of holding the elite Dutch nationwide title.