De Knegt shares anecdote about "15-year-old with a big mouth": "Van der Haar has reinvented himself"

In the absence of Mathieu van der Poel, Lars van der Haar has been the face of Dutch cyclo-cross for several seasons now. The 32-year-old rider from Baloise Trek Lions has managed in recent years to reconnect with the world top in cyclo-cross. Dutch national coach Gerben de Knegt has a lot of respect for this.

Van der Haar won four crosses in each of the last two years. In 2021, he became the European cyclo-cross champion, and last season he won the general classification in the Superprestige. This was a stark contrast to previous years when the Dutchman was a regular in the top five, but rarely managed to win. "Seeing where he stands now, I find it especially impressive that he has reinvented himself," says De Knegt in an interview with IDLProCycling.com.

According to the national coach, the ever-smiling Van der Haar has not necessarily become a much better cyclo-cross rider. Above all, he has made a mental shift. "A few years ago, his career was successful, but I didn't know then whether he would continue for another five years or stop. Now he has found a new role for himself and has started winning again. He has made the realization that he really can win. When Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert participate, he rides for third place, but in the past, he was too quick to settle for that. It didn't work out, but now he has more peace of mind as a married dad. That also provides stability."

De Knegt can tell the story vividly, as he knows Van der Haar inside out. Even longer than the average cyclo-cross fan might think, it turns out. "I've known him for a very long time because I even raced with him," he reveals surprisingly. "Many people don't even know that, but when I was still cycling, he came to our training as a 15-year-old with his big mouth. At that time, I thought: what kind of kid is this?"