At the end of October, Lars van der Haar announced that he would stop cyclocross racing at the end of the season, at a time when he wasn’t performing very well. Van der Haar also mentioned then that, at some point, he started to see cycling as a burden, and especially long training sessions weighed on him. Fortunately, the 34-year-old cyclocrosser is now back on the bike with a very different feeling.
We called Van der Haar in the middle of his two-week training camp in Calpe, Spain, where he had traveled with in-form rider Thibau Nys following the World Cup race in Flamanville. As the first and second finishers of that race, they could head to Spain with a lot of morale, although they had to skip the World Cup in Terralba. "Thibau is, of course, already used to that good feeling; for him, it feels more normal. But for me, that was still a really nice feeling. That makes a big difference," says Van der Haar.
"So far, the camp has gone very well. It was really enjoyable with Thibau. Otherwise, I would never have been able to get those extra hours in my own country. Now we have done long rides and worked hard. Even when Thibau sometimes had to train an extra hour for road cycling, at the end of each session I told him: I’m just going with you. I think I stopped only once after my own training. The weather was amazingly good, which automatically makes it easier."
This way, the multiple Dutch champion carries the good feeling from his recent races forward. "If you’re getting good results, it’s always more fun. That’s logical. If I had still been riding without any perspective, like in the first weeks of the season, it would have been much harder. I notice that I enjoy cycling and racing much more now. That feels great."
Van der Haar in action in Flamanville - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Difficult period
This Van der Haar is a very different version from the one who announced his retirement from the sport at the end of October. Back then, Van der Haar said: "To compete at this level, you have to give up an incredible amount. When that eventually becomes a burden, it’s incredibly hard to keep going." He still stands by that statement, but completing this season is now easier than it was then.
"Before I suddenly started riding much better at the races in Merksplas and Hamme over the weekend, it was more difficult," Van der Haar explains. But then a turning point came for the experienced cyclocrosser, with several top-5 finishes. "I had bruised my ribs before the opening race in Meulebeke. I suffered a lot from that for a long time. I was also sick twice for two days, so I was not in the shape I needed to be. You figure in your head: in two weeks, I’ll be back. But then I still wasn’t there. That was frustrating."
That illness lingered longer than expected, and fatigue and uncertainty took hold. "I felt like I could easily race for an hour. I wasn’t specifically tired after that hour. But I couldn’t push deep enough to compete and get a result. Eventually, you try to keep training all the time. But we had to try something else. I just said: we’re going to take a week off. After that, I was able to go much deeper and actually attack."
At one point, Van der Haar was tempted to say he would have to accept that his level back then was his highest possible. "At first, you blame the illness, then you reach a point where you think: we must be past that now. But it just wouldn’t happen. Then you start thinking maybe that’s just your maximum level. But from Merksplas on, I immediately knew: actually, there’s still something left."
Sometimes it was tough going for Van der Haar - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
A fitting farewell
Does this make Van der Haar dream of leaving through the grand exit, with a nice victory somewhere? "I’m not going to dream," he quickly replies. "Something will happen in the next four weeks," he refers to the presence of Mathieu van der Poel. "Podium spots will almost be wins then. But I’m going to try and leave my mark for myself. The Dutch Championships and races after the World Championships are events where I can aim for high podium finishes."
He approaches the Christmas period in his own way. "That’s the big advantage of being later in your career. For me, those classifications aren’t as important anymore. So, it’s easier to make choices. I know otherwise it would be too much. But a young rider who wants to win classifications or place well in all three just has to race more. Then it becomes a very difficult puzzle."
That could deliver a fresher Van der Haar at his very last Dutch Championship ever, where he definitely won’t meet Mathieu van der Poel. "But I still have to get past Joris Nieuwenhuis, Tibor Del Grosso, and Pim Ronhaar is no easy rider either when he’s on form. The Dutch Championships are a big goal, but I’m not going to say I’m going to win there. A lot depends on how good Tibor is by then. That’s probably where I expect the most. I’d already be happy with a nice podium," concludes the successful cyclocrosser.
