"You know the wins are gone once Van der Poel is there" - Lars van der Haar admits CX season is about to get a lot more difficult as world champion returns

Mathieu van der Poel has not even pinned on a number yet, but the tone among the established cyclocross names is already shifting.

Speaking to Wielerflits, Lars van der Haar did not sugarcoat the reality facing the elite field once the world champion steps back into the mud.

For the Dutchman, this moment arrives every winter. The level rises, the margins shrink, and the realistic expectations redraw themselves in an instant.

“I am not really occupied with that,” Van der Haar explained when asked whether Van der Poel’s looming return affects his mindset. “I just get on with my life. I grew up with Mathieu and I have always tried my best to beat him. But I do not feel like God is hopping on the bike with him or something.”

Van der Haar knows exactly what usually follows. Once Van der Poel appears on the start line, the dynamic of the entire sport shifts. Riders do not need a spreadsheet of past results to understand what is coming.

“If you simply look at history, you know that the wins are gone once Van der Poel is there,” he said. It is a blunt assessment, but for Van der Haar it is not defeatist. It is simply the reality of competing against a rider whose re-entry routinely resets the hierarchy.

That does not mean the rest of the field stops aiming high. Van der Haar framed the target differently instead. “That does not mean you stop trying to get as close as possible. Suddenly third place becomes a win. Anyone who can get near him will try to beat him and pick up the challenge.”

Even then, he is under no illusions about the scale of that challenge. “I have used every chance I ever had against Mathieu, but it is a special level he reaches every single time. Especially in those first two races, it is often extreme.”

Van der Haar does believe the overall depth of the peloton has grown, with more riders capable of sustaining a high tempo for longer.

“I do think the overall level has risen. More riders are now close to the high level Thibau is on. That might make it slightly harder for Mathieu to cut through. There might be fewer gaps, because we are a bit closer together.”

But even that improvement does not override the fundamental dynamic that has defined cyclocross for nearly a decade. The world champion returns, the race changes, and the rest adjust their ambitions accordingly.

Van der Poel, fresh from altitude and unburdened by the early-season fatigue others carry, will likely arrive at full speed. “He comes in extra fresh, while we have already raced a third of the season,” Van der Haar noted. “Mathieu is already a step better, and if he comes in fresh, the difference doubles.”

And if he performs as he usually does in his opening appearances? “If he is good, he rides away from you anyway,” Van der Haar concluded with a laugh.