Lars van der Haar eyeing European and World Championships as Cyclocross season begins - "I will continue to ride around with that aim"
Cycling
This weekend will not only see the World Championships begin, but also the Cyclocross season. One of the main figures last year was Lars van der Haar who's had a strong comeback, and he will be aiming high this winter.
When asked about his main goals for the season, van der Haar was clear to Wielerflits: "The European Championship is in Namur this season, where I can and want to extend my title. In addition, I also want to show myself at the World Cup in Hoogerheide, whoever is at the start there.”
Having won the European and Dutch national championships last season, van der Haar set the bar high for the 2022-2023 season. He's finished second in the World Championships and won the World Cup in Tabor, and following the separation of Baloise - Trek Lions with Toon Aerts, he will take up more responsibility within the team.
Teams have in the past few weeks trained together in preparation for the start of the season, in which van der Haar reports: “I had some problems with my knee and got sick on an internship in Mallorca. Unfortunately, I also fell a few times, which is never fun.”
This next Sunday's Exact Cross Kruibeke will be the first race of the cyclocross season for many in the field, van der Haar included. “I really don't know what to expect. My condition is very good, but I don't know if I'm fit enough to ride a result. After a few laps it will soon become clear where I stand against the rest," he argued. With the main goals distant however, it is not urgent to have the best form already.
Taking place later in the winter, Europeans and Worlds are where he'll have his eyes on. “However, it will be very difficult. Obviously it is not to win championships two years in a row. I will continue to ride around with that aim. For this, he said he'll also ride a smaller calendar. “After that I will also drop a number of crosses, depending on the championships. For me, in general, there should be a lot less World Cups. There are so many, which makes them less important," he justified.
Read also
“I think you can make the World Cup more exclusive if you go back to nine or ten rounds. Every Sunday is now packed with one of the World Cups. The other classifications also want to be in between, where we all have to start. That way you get a very full and busy season. You also have to find the time to train, so you have to make choices," the veteran explained. This weekend kicks off the action in the Netherlands and Belgium, as the cyclocross stars come back to their speciality.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
- the time for a GC rider to retire is when they cannot win stages, or have a significant level drop like from winner/podium into top 5/10 consistently. Roglic is still competitive and Froome raced even though he became pack fodder.abstractengineer10-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment