Pim Ronhaar "only" fourth in Dutch-dominated World Championships: "In the beginning I was messing around a bit too much"

Pim Ronhaar could have underlined Dutch dominance in Tábor with the first all-Dutch podium at World Championships ever, but ultimately lost to Michael Vanthourenhout.

"Michael was just better," he admitted to WielerFlits. "In the beginning I was messing around a bit too much and I wasn't feeling good about it. I was lucky that Michael also started poorly, so I was able to go with him and gain a gap on the rest. Joris and Mathieu had already flied away at that time. Michael accelerated two laps from the end and I couldn't keep up."

How does Ronhaar explain that poor start? "I was maybe a little too nervous. It was super fast the first few laps, which made it difficult for me to get into my rhythm. Actually, we didn't really have a plan. If Mathieu was thirty seconds away, we could also race behind him."

So not a completely Dutch podium. "I did believe in it at one point. When I was in the lead, I occasionally got a gap of a few meters, which made me think I was pulling away. But that was not the case," said Ronhaar who will continue his cross season in two weeks time in Brussels.