"This feels like a small victory" - Lars van der Haar bounces back from disappointing Saturday with second place in Dendermonde World Cup

After a disappointing Saturday that saw Lars van der Haar dislocate and then pop back in his shoulder, before ultimately withdrawing from Superprestige Niel, the Dutchman bounced back in style on Sunday, finishing second behind teammate Pim Ronhaar in Dendermonde at the UCI World Cup.

“Pim went at the best time. I still had some left and was able to control the course in the chase," van der Haar reflects in his post-race interview. “I already had good legs yesterday, but then everything went wrong. My shoulder recovered well today. This feels like a small victory to me. That I can still do so well on a course with a lot of running and stomping.”

After the reported friction between van der Haar and Ronhaar following the European Championships, both riding worked well together in Dendermonde and have been quick to deny any rumours of bad blood in their interviews following the race.

“Pim and I are great friends. There was just some miscommunication at the European Championships," van der Haar explains, telling a similar story to the one told by Ronhaar. "We have already expressed it while eating a hamburger.”