"I made one mistake too many" - Lars van der Haar settles for bronze medal as an untimely fall removes him from the fight for the title

Before the start of the European Championships for elite men, Lars van der Haar was considered among the top favorites for the title, but the Dutchman was not allowed to take a seat on top of the podium eventually. Van der Haar finished third, after a far from flawless race.

Van der Haar only really got up to speed after a few laps, after a cautious start. "The mud made it easier to ride your own race on this normally fast course. I only went over the limit in the mud, but Michael is good at that. I immediately knew that he was the man to beat," he told Cyclingonline afterwards.

Van der Haar started his hunt for leader Vanthourenhout halfway through the race and at one point even came within ten seconds, but then made a mistake. The Dutchman lost his momentum after his slide and, to make matters worse, fell again. "I feel the pain of the falls afterwards. At one point I got to eleven seconds, but I made one mistake too many."

The two-time European cyclo-cross champion then had to adjust his ambitions and competed with his compatriot Pim Ronhaar for the bronze medal. "Pim and I kept each other in the race, but you ride for the podium and then a duel follows. When he couldn't shake me off with his specialty, running, I knew I could beat him in the sprint."