Pim Ronhaar praises his teammate Lars van der Haar: "He has been at the top for as long as I can remember, so I can learn a lot from him"

Pim Ronhaar has taken a significant step up compared to last winter. The youngster from Baloise Trek Lions rode controlled race in Waterloo and even finished that race on the podium, ahead of his team's intended leader, Lars van der Haar. In de Leiderstrui asked the youngster where does that step up for him and Thibau Nys come from in a recent interview.

Actually, it is no mystery to Ronhaar where his growth has come from. 'I worked very hard all summer and my base level has really improved, I can feel that in everything. It doesn't happen in every cross yet, but that has to do with various things. In Beringen I crashed hard and injured my finger and in Overijse I still suffered too much from jet lag. However, if everything goes well, I am riding very strong so far. I just didn't expect it to go so well in Waterloo."

He and Thibau Nys put enormous pressure on Eli Iserbyt. The duo even briefly rode away from the leader of Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal together. "We were already talking about it the week before the World Cup, but that was of course as a joke. It's really great for both of us that it turned out this way. It's a shame that Eli got over me, but if you look at what we have achieved as a team, it is really something to cherish for us."

It is something that Sven Nys' team can continue to build on, but what about the riders themselves? For example, Van der Haar was the undisputed leader within the team for a long time, and to what extent do Ronhaar and Nys experience each other as competitors? "We actually don't feel that way at all. I think we all complement each other very well. Lars also takes on a role as a mentor. He has been at the top for as long as I can remember, so I can learn a lot from him. I still ask him questions every day."