"I don't think he wants to compete with Mathieu every week" - Lars van der Haar analyzes Wout Van Aert's winter schedule
Cyclocross
Wout van Aert returned to the field in Essen on December 9, after which it was Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock's turn last Saturday in Herentals. The Belgian and the Dutch will cross swords for the first time in Mol on Friday, and the Brit will join the fun the next day in Antwerp.
Lars Van der Haar finished third in Herentals behind Van der Poel and Pidcock. After that cyclocross, he immediately took off his proverbial hat to Van der Poel. "I actually only saw Mathieu at the start, so I didn't even see his first attack. I'm not a fan of a fast start either, but it went so terribly fast. I had my head in the frame."
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After weeks of different winners in biggest cyclocross events, the hierarchy was reinstalled with the return of the Big Three again. However, Van der Haar does not mourn it. "We showed some nice crosses, but I would also like to win them solo. If you can do that, it's very impressive."
To ask the question out loud is to answer it, Van der Haar must have thought. He looks into Van Aert's schedule. "If you now see what Wout has done with his program towards the spring, I don't know whether he wants to compete with a superior Mathieu every week." We'll see it in Mol and Antwerp...
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- the 'No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines' comment was unfortunately a bit off. didn't you just boast about your principles in the comments section of another article?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
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Dariusz08-11-2026 - Yeah, unreal.
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