Lars van der Haar will end his cycling career after the current cyclocross season. The 34-year-old Dutchman announced this on Wednesday. Van der Haar can already look back on a remarkably successful career, with multiple Dutch and European titles in cyclocross and numerous other prestigious victories.
"My final season! It’s time to tell you everything: I am in my last season as a professional cyclist," begins the Baloise Glowi Lions rider in his farewell post on Instagram. "I have had an amazing time on the bike for nearly 25 years. It has created a whole life for me."
"I have had the chance to work closely with my family and friends. I have found a whole cyclocross family and my wife thanks to cycling. We now have a wonderful family with a new addition (Van der Haar will become a father for the second time, editor’s note) at the end of this season."
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"Hard to push myself"
"Over the past year, I found it difficult to push myself during training. That made me think about whether I still wanted to keep doing this. After a very tough and difficult period of mixed emotions and thoughts, during which I weighed the pros and cons, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to continue for one more season."
Van der Haar hopes to say goodbye in a meaningful way in the coming months. "I want to give everything this season and then build a new life and rhythm. The only thing I can say is: thank you to everyone who has helped and supported me over the years. From my family to the spectators. Let’s make this last season something special!"
Lars van der Haar has grown into one of the most successful (Dutch) cyclocross riders of his generation over the past fifteen years. The rider from Woudenberg moved to the pros with very impressive credentials—he became twice world champion at the U23 level—and this proved to be the start of a long and above all successful career.
So far, Van der Haar has become four-time Dutch elite cyclocross champion, won two European titles (in Huijbergen and on the VAM hill), and captured the three major season-long competitions, the World Cup, Superprestige, and X2O Badkamers Trophy.
The number of overall race wins currently stands at thirteen. Van der Haar also won the Nacht van Woerden eight(!) times. The experienced cyclocrosser has never been world champion at elite level but has stood on the World Championship podium four times.
Van der Haar won the Koppenbergcross as European champion - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Lars van der Haar| Year | Team |
|---|---|
| 2026 | |
| 2025 | |
| 2024 | |
| 2023 | |
| 2022 |
