Decided after one round! Superior Van der Haar wins Dutch cyclo-cross race eight (!) times in a row

On Tuesday night in Woerden, Utrecht, the riders were allowed to show their skills. On the Exercitieveld, an event site in the city center, a course of about three kilometers was set out. The course was fast and technical, with lots of twists and turns, something that was right up Van der Haar's alley. Not surprisingly, he held the record for seven consecutive victories. The big question was who could keep him from an eighth victory.

He knew the answer. After he had already dashed into the field in the first place, he gave it a huge blow towards the first finish line passage. He launched a powerful attack on the slightly sloping final straight while standing on the pedals. Vanthourenhout and Felipe Orts failed to respond, and after one lap, he was already out of reach. After the second lap, the gap between Orts, Vanthourenhout, and Pim Ronhaar was 12 seconds.

Van der Haar was unleashed entirely, allowing the rivals no hope of victory. After the third lap, the difference between the Dutch champion and the chasers had grown to 22 seconds. In the chasing group, Ronhaar, a teammate of Van der Haar, was riding in the lead. It was an encouraging sign from Ronhaar, who had an extremely difficult preparation for the cross-season.

Yet it soon became evident that Ronhaar still lacked punch. He had to pay for his efforts in the next lap and dropped back to seventh position. The Spaniard Orts fell back much further. He had equipment failure as he crossed the finish line: it looked like a broken chain. With the two eliminated, European champion Vanthourenhout and the young Dutchman Haverdings battled for second place.

Van der Haar, meanwhile, continued to finish his laps without hesitation. The task was to make no mistakes, and he kept to it perfectly. Thus, Van der Haar triumphed in the Nacht van Woerden for the eighth time, an awe-inspiring streak. Vanthourenhout decided the battle for second place with an attack on the second-to-last lap. Haverdings finished as number three.