"Lars van der Haar showed some technical limitations" - Cyrille Guimard on the European Cyclocross Championships

At the European Cyclocross Championships on Sunday, Michael Vanthourenhout was impressively able to defend his title.

Analysing the race, Cyrille Guimard was incredibly impressed by the Belgian's comeback in form compared to the earlier crosses this campaign. "Michael Vanthourenhout was a little behind in the last events, compared to Lars van der Haar, Eli Iserbyt or Thibau Nys," the Frenchman tells Cyclism'Actu. "But on this day, he was on a cross to his liking, he mastered from a long way. Great race, well managed, started very early. At no time was he really worried."

British national champion, Cameron Mason and Dutch national champion, Lars van der Haar completed the podium but Guimard was a little disappointed by Vanthourenhout's competition. "Van der Haar showed some technical limitations, he did not have the means to put him in difficulty," Guimard explains. "It's a nice winner, even if it's not a flashy winner we'll say."

Pre-race, Thibau Nys was the favourite but ultimately, he could not live up to expectations. "A lack of experience, no, that's an alibi. When we see the father's titles and those he has already obtained in cyclo-cross, and not only that... No, he just wasn't in the race," says Guimard. "Did contesting the Koppenberg this week take a bit too much of a toll on him? It's not impossible."