Lars van der Haar hurt his back just before the penultimate race
The cycling career of Lars van der Haar is almost over. This coming Sunday, he will say farewell at the Sluitingsprijs van Oostmalle. Last Sunday, the Dutchman rode his final UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup race in Brussels, but it certainly didn’t go smoothly. It turns out that just before the start, he hurt his back.
"I’m really sliding toward the end of my career," he wrote with some self-deprecating humor on Instagram. "This isn’t what I had hoped for, but I injured my back during the course reconnaissance. After that, I couldn’t move normally on the bike. Under these circumstances, that’s not very convenient..."
Van der Haar — who finished thirteenth in Brussels — still got to enjoy a specially arranged podium ceremony after the race. "Many thanks to the organizers of the X2O Badkamers Trophy for the podium moment and the gifts."
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"It really made my day, especially with the spectators who stayed despite the bad weather! Just one cyclo-cross left," he refers to the race in Oostmalle this coming Sunday. "I’m starting to feel the emotions, the end is getting closer."
Van der Haar will ride his last two cyclo-crosses on a special bike featuring prominent orange details. For example, his name Lars is written in orange on the seat tube, and there is an orange lion on the head tube. On the down tube, there is also an icon with the text ‘Lars, a cross journey (2012-2026)’, which refers to his fourteen-year professional career.
