"Sunday is more of a lottery" but Lars van der Haar heads to European Championship full of confidence after Koppenbergcross victory

Lars van der Haar powered to a comprehensive and dominant victory at Koppenbergcross 2024 on Friday afternoon in Belgium. He and the rest of the competitors now face a race against time to get ready for the European Championship on Sunday in Spain.

"I already felt on the rollers that my legs were good. And I also felt good during the cross. I actually wanted to wait a bit, but I got the chance when they rode into the post, so I thought: I have to try," reflects the Dutchman in his post-race interview, having surged clear in the mid-race laps, never looking back and eventually winning ahead of Eli Iserbyt and Toon Aerts.

"I just felt really good, especially on the technical part," Van der Haar continues, clearly brimming with confidence. "In the last lap I was really afraid of my chain, because it was almost skipping. I didn't dare to change gears anymore."

As mentioned, next up is the European Championships. Given the travel and the short turnaround though, whether or not Van der Haar can repeat the feat on Sunday remains to be seen. "We have been planning for this 'problematic' weekend since August. But I said: I want to do everything I can to be good this weekend," he explains. "That is a completely different course. You have much more of a gravel criterium than a cross like here. Sunday is more of a lottery."