Top talent Del Grosso shines with second place in Koksijde race: "Incredible to compete with the elites"

"Even though I would have loved to win, I’m really happy with this result," Del Grosso began in the post-race flash interview. "To beat someone like Laurens here, you have to do everything perfectly. He did that, and I made just a few too many mistakes. So I have to be satisfied with this second place," said the rider, who will make his WorldTour debut on the road later this year.

While Del Grosso repeatedly lost contact with Sweeck on the sandy sections during the second half of the race, he often fought back on the intermediate stretches, giving him hope of taking the win. "I definitely tried a few times, but in the end, I should have taken more initiative myself. You know Laurens rarely makes big mistakes. At the start of the race, I took the initiative and rode really well through the sand. But as the race goes on, you get more tired. I managed to fight back a few times, but to win, you can’t afford to lose ground like that," admitted an honest Del Grosso.

The reigning U23 world champion has been alternating between U23 and elite races this season. He already finished impressively among the pros with fifth and seventh places in the challenging races of Namur and Gavere. On Monday, he narrowly missed the podium in the evening cyclo-cross race in Diegem. Now, he has secured his first elite podium finish.

Things are progressing well, though Del Grosso isn’t entirely surprised. "I’m surprising myself a bit, but I also hoped to have taken another step forward. It’s still incredible to be competing for prizes like this among the elites."