01/01/2024

"He puts so much pressure on us" - Lars van der Haar glowing in his praise of Mathieu van der Poel

Later today at the GP Sven Nys in Baal, Mathieu van der Poel will be looking to make it eight straight victories since returning to cyclocross this winter.

One of his rivals, Dutch national champion, Lars van der Haar is full of praise for his compatriot's performances over the past few weeks. “You feel that he is picking up the pace,” Van der Haar tells Wielerflits. “The problem is that Mathieu also handles terribly well. So you can't say that you are riding towards him in a bend, or braking him 'out'. Ultimately, he is slightly better in all aspects. You are slowly ridden to 20 meters and then you know that the bird has flown.”

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"You can see that he is just a little bit better everywhere. He can choose his moments, because he puts so much pressure on us that it becomes difficult to follow," Van der Haar continues. "If he can also ride his own lines, you are absolutely done. He takes cyclocross to a higher level, and I think he can definitely stay with it for a long time."

As one of the leaders of Baloise - Trek Lions however, Van der Haar has extra incentive to succeed at the GP Sven Nys. “I'm looking forward to it, because I hope to have a good race there," he previews. "It's nice that it is Sven Nys's. For myself, I hope to get a good result.”