Lars van der Haar supports Thibau Nys in Rapencross Lokeren: “I didn’t feel at my best”

Lars van der Haar, the 33-year-old two-time European cyclocross champion, may be the leader of the X2O Trophy after the Rapencross in Lokeren, but he played a more supportive role for Thibau Nys during the race. Speaking to In de Leiderstrui after the race, Van der Haar discussed his performance and admitted that due to circumstances in his personal life he was not at his best.

“It was like I said beforehand, I didn't feel good enough to compete for the win. Of course, I wasn't bad at all, but I saw a few good opportunities to give Thibau something,” Van der Haar said, reflecting on his race strategy.

He revealed that he had planned to support Thibau Nys before the race. “I didn't feel completely at my best before the race, so I had already told Thibau beforehand, if the opportunities arise, I will let a gap fall.

“I did that twice and the second time it was a hit,” Van der Haar explained. “The first time was perhaps a bit too early for Thibau, but the second time, when he rode away with Laurens, I did it again, and that eventually brought Thibau the victory.”

Despite not reaching the podium himself, Van der Haar was satisfied with his performance. “We do it for each other. In the end, Thibau doesn't ride the entire classification, so it doesn't matter for the final victory. Today I do a very good thing, but I would have liked to be on the podium anyway.”

Van der Haar’s lead over Eli Iserbyt now stands at 25 seconds, with Nys trailing by over a minute. Assessing his form, Van der Haar stated, “If you were in top form last week, it won't be bad all of a sudden. I'm talking about one or two percent that you miss to really compete with the guys at the front.”

Van der Haar finished by saying, “You couldn't make up much more towards the end, and the gap with Michael was there. I didn't expect that, while I was still in the race for the podium. I was aiming for those last two laps, at the moment that Thibau had enough of a lead. But suddenly there was a gap that I had to close, which I couldn't do anymore.”