"It's a shame I didn't win today" - Lars van der Haar admits disappointment despite overall Superprestige win

Despite claiming overall victory in the Superprestige, Lars van der Haar admitted his disappointment at having failed to seal his win with success in Middelkerke.

"I rode the first part of the cross with only one goal: to get away from as many men as possible to ensure that top six," said the 31-year-old Dutchman following his 2nd placed finish behind Eli Iserbyt. "After that I felt I was maybe the best in the race, especially in the sand. But Eli was still very good today. If he does not want to race, it is very difficult to get rid of him.”

“Maybe I pushed on a little too early. As a result, my front wheel slipped. That was very sour, because I didn't really want to put any pressure there yet," the Baloise-Trek Lions rider continued. "I just wanted to get through first to put pressure on later. Now Eli got that chance. I was a bit broken myself.”

Despite his regret at not managing to stand on the top step of the podium following the race, van der Haar is nevertheless well aware of just how big his Superprestige win is. “I am very proud of that. I am very disappointed that I was not able to win today. The last rounds I really believed in it, but maybe I wasted a bit too much power in the first rounds. But yes, I was riding for the standings. I said in advance that I would go on the attack and I think I made a good race out of it,” he says. "There will be a few more races first, then we will celebrate with the team. Then we make something beautiful out of it.”