At the end of February, an icon will leave cyclocross with Lars van der Haar. Earlier this week, the 34-year-old cross rider announced his retirement, something we look back on one last time with Van der Haar in front of our camera.
"A gem for the sport," "someone with an impressive track record," and "the man who carried Dutch cyclocross for years." Many praise-filled words for Lars van der Haar on the WielerFlits Podcast last week. And we weren’t the only ones raving about the rider who has won more than forty races, including four Dutch titles and two European crowns.
Thibau Nys, the big name in today’s cyclocross world and Van der Haar’s teammate at Baloise Glowi Lions, said you could write a thick book about Van der Haar. "He has taught me so much. As a newcomer, but even today. I think Lars has only fans and no one is against him. He’s a fighter who wants to shape the race. I have learned a lot from him."
That clearly meant a lot to Van der Haar. "I’ve received more responses than I expected. And they were all very positive and nice reactions. That touched me. Thibau and Pim (Ronhaar, ed.) only found out on Tuesday, while I had already discussed it earlier with the team. I really like how they reacted and how they see me."
Sometimes it was a struggle for Van der Haar - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Crying by the roadside
Although Van der Haar announced his decision to stop this week, he has been mentally preparing for the end of his career for a longer time. "I think since April last year. So it was a year and a half ago that the thought first came to me. After that, I still had a very good winter, but at the end of last winter, the thoughts became serious. I already discussed it once with the team. And in May, I made the final decision."
There were several reasons for this. Mainly, the many long endurance rides began to get to Van der Haar. Sometimes he came home early, and one time he was crying by the roadside because he didn’t know what to do anymore. "But actually, it’s not just those workouts, it’s everything around it," Van der Haar explains.
"To compete at this level, you have to give up an incredible amount. When that becomes a burden, it’s extremely difficult to keep pushing. Last year, I still managed to stay disciplined; I even won the Koppenbergcross then. But that takes a lot of energy. Mentally, you can’t sustain it for long once you’ve lost the joy."
How will Van der Haar approach this winter then? "I’ve said I want to do fewer long hours, but I still want to train well. I have enough discipline to try for a few good results. Otherwise, I might as well have stopped last year. I definitely have the motivation to make this a great cross season. In December, I’ll train two weeks with Thibau in Spain. I’m really looking forward to that. Then those long hours should be doable."
Van der Haar won the biggest cyclocross races in the world - photo: Cor Vos
Regarding results, expectations are somewhat lower. "At first, I thought it was due to a brief illness and my ribs, but by now I should have been at a higher level. Maybe this is just my current level and I can add a bit here and there. But I shouldn’t expect miracles anymore. I’ll just enjoy the cross and everything around it."
The Future
Van der Haar shouldn’t be thinking about winning at the top level for now; however, he has done so more than once during his career. Actually, Van der Haar, who turned pro in 2012, may be the only rider to have tamed three generations. "First there was Sven Nys, then the generation with Eli Iserbyt, and now Thibau Nys is becoming more dominant. I’ve won races against all of them, and I’m very proud of that," Van der Haar confirms.
"Of course, I would have liked that world title. I’ve both been unlucky and lucky to have raced alongside a few giants. So I look back on a very beautiful career anyway. I may not have been a prolific winner, but I stood at the top among the pros for almost fifteen years and was always able to win my races."
In our podcast last week, Van der Haar was also described as a man with great knowledge. Whether it’s about season planning or UCI regulations, he always has a relevant opinion ready. That would make Van der Haar a good team director. "I definitely intend to stay involved in the sport, but it’s still uncertain. I love cyclocross, but also cycling in general. Hopefully, I can build a nice continuation from that."
Lars van der Haar| Year | Team |
|---|---|
| 2026 | |
| 2025 | |
| 2024 | |
| 2023 | |
| 2022 |
