Lars van der Haar calls for less cyclocross World Cup races; focuses on World Championships: "I'm not going to worry at all about whether Mathieu, Wout and Pidcock will be there"

Lars van der Haar was the winner of the Superprestige cup last season, and as he begins his 2023-2024 winter, he aims high despite the improvement of the competition. He is not happy with the amount of races throughout the whole calendar however he admits.

“It will no longer be possible to ride everything, I will have to make a lot of choices. I didn't do that last year, but now it has become even crazier. I'm still working on it, but riding three classifications won't be an option," van der Haard said in an interview with Wielerflits. "The World Cup takes up the calendar and that unfortunately makes it impossible to aim for all those classifications. I think it's a shame, because I just want to ride all those crosses."

Ultimately, the Baloise - Trek Lions will have to make choices. Having his best form throughout 4 months is virtually unviable for all riders in the CX field, and makes it quite hard to challenge for all classifications - mainly taking into consideration the aspect of the expanding and internationalization of the World Cup. That is a very big point for the 32-year old, who says cyclocross is currently different than it was several years ago.

"It is also great for the team if we can start anywhere. And for the cross itself too. I got into cyclocross when everyone was still riding everywhere. That's different now and I think that's a shame," he continues. "It's no secret that I'm still in favor of a smaller World Cup. I will definitely have to drop a number of races this year.” Van der Haar started his season with a fourth place in Beringen and will be a candidate for today's Waterloo World Cup.

He points out some of the goals for the winter: “I want to win the Koppenberg again this season. Here and there I want to peak in competitions that are close to my heart. I still think Zonhoven is a wonderful competition. I would also like to win that this season. Furthermore, the World Championships in Tabor is circled in red in my agenda," he admits. This will be a tough ask taking into consideration the competition expected there, but the veteran remains ambitions.

“That must be my second peak of the season. It is fantastic that the World Championships is being organized there. I think it is a beautiful course. I'm not going to worry at all about whether Mathieu, Wout and Pidcock will be there at the start," he points out. "I am going to work towards the World Championships and I would like to be at the top. After that hour of competition we will see whether it has paid off."