"I had to shed a small tear": Lars van der Haar's World Championship career comes to an end

Lars van der Haar's relationship with the UCI Cyclocross World Championships has come to a close. The 34-year-old Dutchman, who is going to retire at the end of the 2025-2026 season, finished his final Worlds appearance in 19th place in Hulst. It was a farewell marred by a late crash and the harsh reality of elite sports.

For Van der Haar, the day was laden with emotional significance, but the result failed to match the occasion. When asked by In de Leiderstrui if he managed to enjoy his final lap on the global stage, his answer was very honest.

"No, but maybe I should have done that," he admitted. "However, that is very difficult if you cannot ride the result you had in mind, even if it is your last World Championship. In the last lap I did try to enjoy it and I had to shed a small tear. But then you see 19 on the board, and then you still have a shitty feeling. Because you remain a top athlete, and they simply want to go for results."

The buildup to the race was unique for Van der Haar. With his wife Lucy due give birth to their second child the same day of the race, the national coach allowed him to remain at home until the morning to stay close to his family.

"Keeping the focus was not that difficult," he noted. "I was allowed to stay home by the national coach, so that was very nice. I only came this morning, so that wasn't too bad."

Once the gun went off, Van der Haar briefly featured at the front, riding around fourth position. However, the physical toll was immediate. "That was at the beginning of the race, but I felt there already that I was riding on my limit. I had hoped to stay in that group that rode for fourth place, but that didn't work out."

His race unraveled completely in the final two laps due to a collision near the windmill section. "I bumped my knee and it was done. That happened at the mill, at a very stupid moment," Van der Haar said. "I was pushing full throttle together with Mees Hendrikx to get into that second group and when dismounting I bumped against something, but I have never had so much pain in my knee."

The impact left him unable to pedal effectively, which forced him to say goodbye to the fight for the top 10. "It was riding at a walking pace, with one leg. And at the moments that I had to run, it was more like walking."

Despite the bitter ending, Van der Haar looked back fondly on a history at the Worlds that began as a junior in Treviso in 2008 (where he finished in 27th place). "The World Championship was everything to me," he reflected. "From those world titles with the U23s it started to run and the podiums with the elite were also very special. It makes or breaks your career, as a crosser."

As for the immediate future, Van der Haar plans to complete the rest of the season's calendar before retiring, with two major caveats: "Normally I will still ride all races this season, but if the little one comes or the knee turns out to be something, we will see."