Superprestige Heusden-Zolder: Tibor Del Grosso surges past Wout van Aert at the line for a signature elite victory

Tibor Del Grosso (Alpecin-Deceuninck) lunged for the line to edge Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) for the victory at Superprestige Heusden-Zolder on Tuesday. The duo broke away from a group of 10 on the sixth lap and drove ahead on the fast, dry course for a head-to-head battle that did not disappoint.

Van Aert looked behind him as they hit the headwind to the finish on the pavement and saw Del Grosso. The two traded punches on the pedals, with Del Grosso surging across the line first by half a wheel.

Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw) outpaced series leader Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck Development) in the chase to settle the score for third place. The two were fighting for positions in the Superprestige, separated by only two points after the first four rounds.

After a year's absence, racing at Heusden-Zolder made a return to the Superprestige series this season. There was no U23 race at this round, the fifth stop in the series, so the field was packed with all the young talent, including the 22-year-old Dutch champion Del Grosso.

It was the first elite cyclocross victory of Del Grosso's career and his first win in nearly a year, last winning the U23 world title in February. For Van Aert, it made for two second-place finishes in as many days, having gone runner-up to Mathieu van der Poel on Monday at Plage Cross in Hofstade.

"This is really cool. I was pretty calm in the final," Del Grosso said at the finish, reported by Het Nieuwsblad. "I was surprised Wout didn't start his sprint earlier. With all that crowd, I managed to extend my sprint a bit. I was determined to fight for the win today.

"Did my road experience help me today? Not really, because I think the guy I was riding with at the front has a bit more experience."

How it unfolded

It was not a clean start for Vandeputte, who saw riders pass through the hole shot and a lead group formed quickly with Swiss champion Kevin Kuhn (Heizomat-Cube), two-time U23 world champion Del Grosso and Felipe Orts Lloret (Ridley Racing Team).

Del Grosso was in the mix early and took the lead just before the start of lap two. Van Aert led the second group, just 10 seconds back, followed closely by Cameron Mason (Seven Racing).

Once on the third lap of the fast, dry course, Orts dropped from the lead group back to the chasers, which was led by Van Aert. The four-time winner at Heusden-Zolder began to rev his engine and drove the pace of the chasers, opening up gaps on the riders in his wake.

On the new climbing feature of the course, Van Aert was able to close the distance to Kuhn and Del Grosso, and once on the finish straight to begin the fourth lap, he had caught the lead duo. Following his effort were Thibau Nys (Baloise Glowi Lions), Vanthhourenhout, Vandeputte, Orts, Mees Hendrix (Heizomat-Cube) and Joran Wyseure (Crelan-Corendon). Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ridley Racing Team) trailed the nine leaders by 15 seconds and was able to bridge to the front before the stairs.

Through the mid-point of the race, Del Grosso flashed the colours as the Dutch champion at the front. Van Aert tried to put the pressure on as the first half of the fifth lap followed, moving to the front on the twisty climbing path in the woods. The group trailed in a long line, but no one in the group of 10 had relented yet, with Nys settling on the back.

It was in the second half of the fifth circuit that Van Aert's effort was rewarded with only Del Grosso able to match his pace, and the two opened the first measurable gap, nine seconds with three laps to go. Not continuing on lap six were Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Glowi Lions) and Nieuwenhuis, third in the series standings, who both pulled out.

Van Aert did the bulk of the work on laps six and seven, the Dutch youngster matching the pace and not looking interested in doing much more. Behind the duo, five riders fought for a final spot on the podium - Orts, Kuhn, Vandeputte, Vanthourenhout and Wyseure. Their gap of 15 seconds quickly became 20 seconds as the final lap began.

With a massive acceleration passing the pits, Van Aert tried to shake Del Grosso. The Visma rider applied the pressure going into the twisting climbing section and then on the sandy run-up in the woods, but Del Grosso remained smooth. Vanthourenhout led the reduced chase group behind.

Once on the pavement, it came down to a two-up sprint for the leaders, the 22-year-old Dutch champion getting the better of the Belgian veteran in the final pedal strokes at the finish.

Results

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