Revelation Nieuwenhuis took Ronhaar by storm at the National Championships (and Van der Haar reassures fans after winning bronze)

Before the National Championship race in the Netherlands, a fierce battle was anticipated among the three Baloise Trek Lions riders, but although the team did indeed occupy the entire podium, there wasn't much suspense. Joris Nieuwenhuis convincingly outpaced Pim Ronhaar midway through the race, and Lars van der Haar had already fallen behind earlier due to a crash. IDLProCycling.com spoke with the three podium finishers after the event, leading to some surprising revelations.

The interviews took place in an emergency medical tent in Hoogeveen. After spending over an hour in the drizzling rain and icy wind, Ronhaar and Van der Haar were seen warming their hands by a gas heater. "I was just about to accelerate when Joris went even faster. He was half a minute ahead in no time," we hear Ronhaar say. It was a decisive moment in the National Championship, where Nieuwenhuis and Ronhaar had been close for several laps.

"In the beginning, someone caused a really silly crash, forcing me to close a gap right in the first lap. Joris was already leading, and I noticed the pace was quite intense. I caught up with him and we immediately broke away together. I stayed in his slipstream for three or four laps and then I really felt I was stronger. But just as I was about to attack, he made his move. And he ended up a minute ahead," the young Dutchman later analyzed for this website.

Nieuwenhuis smiles when confronted with Ronhaar's quotes. How come Ronhaar seemed to think he had a chance? "I did hold back a bit and didn't lay all my cards on the table right away," confesses the man in the brand-new red-white-and-blue jersey. "I maintained a high tempo and I think towards the end, I didn't ride much faster, but I did ride more technically proficient. I chose good lines and knew where I could ease up, so I could accelerate elsewhere. It went really well, I was truly in my element."

"You needed a good day on this course, and I had that today," he beams. The fact that it was soaking wet on Sunday in Hoogeveen, turning it into a mud-cross, wasn't even significant. "I already saw videos on Saturday that it was getting muddier, but I have convinced myself a while ago that I want to be competitive on any course. How it looks doesn't matter much to me. I didn't expect the gaps to be so big today, although on such a course, it's sometimes like that. I can keep doing my own thing, and if others behind me don't get closer, it's very hard for them to keep pushing. I had a really good day and was in the flow. I never took it easy."

Read more below the photo.

The big question is: how would the National Championship have gone if Mathieu van der Poel had participated? Nieuwenhuis answers candidly: "Of course, it would have been different with Mathieu; then Mathieu would have won. I think the dynamics would have been the same, just with one more person ahead. No, I couldn't have matched him on this course, unless he had a really bad day. He's just on another level, so it's nice that he wasn't there for once. That way, we can also become Dutch champions, although it doesn't necessarily feel like that. The one who isn't there can't win, right?"

And that's how it is. Let's not forget that Nieuwenhuis had already won three times in this cyclo-cross season and has been riding consistently well recently. "I alternated between very bad races and very good ones, but now things are going really well. Revelation of the season? I've shown before that I can compete at the front, but not at such a consistent level. This is ultimately the result of focusing completely on cyclo-cross again, in a team where that's emphasized. That's leading to such good performance now. Despite this, I am looking forward to a training camp in Spain, especially since four of us from Baloise Trek Lions are going. That makes it more fun than if I had to go alone. Besides, the weather here isn’t great, so it's hard to get in a good five-hour training session."

For Van der Haar, the National Championship was quickly over in terms of winning. The defending champion (and also winner in 2022) was involved in a crash early on and never saw Nieuwenhuis and Ronhaar again. His analysis: "I actually had a pretty good day, but there were two who had an even better one. I was lucky in the opening phase when Tibor del Grosso pushed on, and he's quite a powerhouse in the corners. I deliberately rode on the left and saw that there were falls on the right. I was lucky there. After that, I tried to follow Joris, but that was hardly doable. I was a bit worried about that before the race when I saw the course. Few power strokes and a lot of steering and running. Joris is very strong in that."

You might think that Van der Haar has lost some percentage points in recent weeks, but he denies this. "I certainly wasn't disappointed when I saw the weather this morning; I can handle all courses. I also had a good day, but when there are two better than you, you have to accept that. Then again, I expected such differences on this course. Fortunately, I was already much better than in Zonhoven, when my legs really felt bad. I just couldn't win, but I feel good and have a good trajectory towards the World Championships. Am I worried? No, I just try my hardest and now I'm looking forward to training in Spain. I'm really looking forward to it."