Who is Lars van der Haar?
Lars van der Haar, born July 23, 1991, is a Dutch cyclocross rider. He rides for the Baloise - Glowi Lions team and has takenseveral victories in his career, including European championships and World Cup victories. Van der Haar is also a multiple Dutch cyclocross champion. He is one of the most consistent riders in cyclocross and remains a strong competitor in international competitions.
Name: Lars van der Haar
Birthday: July 23, 1991
Birthplace: Amersfoort, Netherlands
Turned pro: 2011
Height: 1.68m
Birthday: July 23, 1991
Birthplace: Amersfoort, Netherlands
Turned pro: 2011
Height: 1.68m
Lars van der Haar
Lars van der Haar, born July 23, 1991 in Amersfoort, Netherlands, is a Dutch cyclocross rider who competes for Baloise - Trek Lions. In his career, he has won multiple European titles (2015, 2021) and Dutch championships (2021, 2022). Van der Haar is one of the best cyclocross riders of his generation and is estimated to earn around €100,000 a year.
He began his professional cyclocross career in 2012. That year he broke through with an impressive victory in the Cyclocross World Cup in Tábor. In the 2013-2014 season, he won the overall classification of the World Cup, definitively establishing himself as one of the top cyclocross riders.
Van der Haar began his professional career in 2012 with a strong performance in the Cyclocross World Cup. His victory in Tábor, Czech Republic, marked his international breakthrough. This immediately made him a name to be reckoned with in cyclocross, thanks to his speed and technical skills.
In the 2013-2014 season, Van der Haar established himself as one of the best cyclocross riders in the world by winning the overall World Cup standings. He showed time and again that he could not only handle technical courses, but also accelerate quickly and surprise his opponents with his explosive sprints. This performance gave his career a big boost and made him a fixture at the top of cyclocross.
2015 was an important year for Van der Haar. He won his first European cyclo-cross title, which was a highlight of his career. This victory confirmed that he was a serious candidate for victory not only in World Cup races, but also at championships. His technical skills and speed made him one of the best riders of his generation.
The years between 2016 and 2020 were characterized by consistency for Van der Haar. Although he did not capture any European or world titles during this period, he regularly achieved podium finishes in World Cup races and national championships. He remained a strong competitor in major competitions such as the Superprestige and X²O Trophy, where he repeatedly proved his skills on technically challenging courses.
In 2021 , Van der Haar had a particularly successful year. He captured the European cyclo-cross title for the second time, confirming his status as one of the top cyclo-cross riders of his generation. He also became Dutch champion, underscoring his dominance in Dutch cyclo-cross. These achievements showed that Van der Haar could still compete at the highest level and that he was capable of winning major titles.
In 2022, Van der Haar prolonged his national title, continuing his strong performance in Dutch cyclocross. He remained a constant force in major international competitions, with podium finishes in the World Cup and other prestigious cyclocross events. His focus on technique and explosiveness made him a favorite on technical courses.
In the 2023-2024 season van der Haar won one race which was the Maasmechelen World Cup, but he proved to be very consistent all year long and as a result of this he conquered the X2O Badkamers Trofee.
The 2024-2025 season started off pretty perfectly with a victory on day 1 in Beringen, and a week later another one at the Nacht van Woerden - his eighth consecutive in the night cross. He would win the Koppenbergcross shortly after, another big win, but the last of his season. The veteran remained consistent but without other triumphs during the year, and finished second in the Superprestige Cup as his best season-long result.
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
- That sucks for him. I've always wondered what guys like him do after retiring from cycling - go back to uni? He's still a very young manCrashjames03-11-2026
- Good Point, I wonder if he's been testedmhfrvz03-11-2026
- A busy boy!Lozza03-11-2026
- I hope 2027 is his year.mij03-11-2026
- why does he have to? many GT riders from Froome to Contador to Indurain didn't do them.mij03-11-2026
- I think Jonas would have lost the TDF by 4+ minutes (at the least) and might not have even been in the top 3. Too much talent in the younger riders to say anyone not named Pogačar would have been top 3md197503-11-2026
- this is just stupid. you already have 23%, gravel is over the topabstractengineer03-11-2026
- There was once a time when Lance was supremely popular and he used his artificial "It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life" persona to lead his mob in going after Greg. There was no one Lance did not abuse in protecting his phony hero image. Lance promoted himself as a divine megastar and he let down millions of cancer victims and gullible devotees who clung far too long to the charade. Lance is the epitome of a corrupt person and because of his power, many around him, including business enterprises, succumbed to the evil. All who got in Armstrong's way were mercilessly attacked by him and his minions. This remarkably continues today with a new generation. LeMond was a number one enemy and paid a huge price. Who do you think slandered who?Yepperoni03-11-2026
- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment