Tibor Del Grosso on Van der Poel: 'He is so good I can’t really learn that much from him'

The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider arrives in Italy with confidence earned in the mud. Over the winter, he won in Heusden Zolder and Diegem, retained his Dutch national title and finished second at the World Championships, beaten only by Mathieu van der Poel who took his eight world title in the discipline. 

Following a short reset and a high altitude training block of more than two weeks in Spain, he now switches fully to the road.

Still, he is careful not to oversell his form. “The training camp went well, but those road races always seem to arrive very quickly,” Del Grosso said to Het Nieuwsblad. “It’s a bit of a question mark whether I’ve recovered properly from all the training. I think I might still need Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico to really reach my best level.” 

That caution also reflects what Strade has become. “There are expectations from the outside for Strade,” he added, “but there’s a reason Mathieu van der Poel isn’t starting on Saturday. Strade has really become a climbing race. That says enough about what ambition I can have there. Saturday is not a goal for me.” 

His focus is on races that better match his profile after Tirreno-Adriatico. “After Tirreno I ride GP Denain, E3 and Dwars door Vlaanderen. Those are the races where I hope to be good, because they suit me and I really enjoy racing them,” he said.

Last year he was sixth on debut at Dwars door Vlaanderen, a result that naturally invites comparisons inside a team built around one of the most dominant classics riders of the era: his teammate and fellow countryman Mathieu van der Poel. 

Del Grosso understands why people look for a link, but he does not buy into it. “Mathieu is a really relaxed guy and it’s fun racing with him and having a laugh,” he said, “but he is so good that I can’t really learn that much from him. When I saw him attack with 100 kilometres to go in the Renewi Tour last year, it doesn’t seem smart to think: I should do that too.” 

Even when his skill set is described in similar terms, he keeps pushing back against the narrative. “I understand what you mean, and in a way the comparison with Mathieu is a compliment,” Del Grosso said, “but a lot of people seem to forget how exceptional he is. Him and Pogacar are not humans, they are aliens. In my head there is no ‘new Van der Poel’.”