Belgian camp points to Van der Haar after striking statements: "If you say such things, you are the top favorite"

The Belgian team seems ready for the European Championship, especially among the elite men. While the Dutch have dominated women's cyclocross for several years, the title seems up for grabs for the men. That is also acknowledged by national coach Sven Vanthourenhout in a conversation with IDLProCycling.com, although the 42-year-old coach points to another top favorite.

I saw you rushing around the hotel, there's a lot to arrange now that all the races are scheduled for Sunday at this European Championship. How will you manage that on Sunday, with a race every hour?

"In itself, I think it will be okay once it's underway. You know it's going to be a long day, and you have to prepare for that. Once things start, it usually goes smoothly. We make agreements in advance because it will be busy for everyone. So we ask for flexibility from both the riders and the staff. Together we have to steer it in the right direction."

It rained on and off on Saturday. What do you expect for Sunday, in terms of the course?

"It's difficult to predict. Friday was dry, although there was some water towards the forest. Especially for the elite men, the water will probably rise throughout the day, but I'm not expecting a mud bath. It will be a bit soggier in the forest, but they are used to that. I don't expect situations like the Koppenbergcross, with long running sections. It will definitely be a challenging course."

Will the Koppenbergcross weigh heavily? I can imagine the women were happy with an extra day of rest?

"Yes, and a few had already made the choice to skip the Koppenbergcross. For the men, it will mostly be a mental shift, and Laurens Sweeck is the only one who skipped it. Everyone else rode that cross, and of course, it takes its toll. Scientifically, it's not the ideal run-up to a championship, but that's largely the same for everyone."

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Thibau Nys won on Wednesday on the Koppenberg

What will be the plan of action for the Belgians? Your fellow national coach Gerben de Knegt suggested that the role distribution within the national teams should work out fine, but Sven Nys told me they would like to see someone from the Baloise Trek Lions win. How do you handle that team-country situation?

"From Nys' point of view, it won't matter who wins, as long as it's one of his. That's how every team manager will reason, but I, as a national coach, stay out of those matters. We want to see a fair battle, even though there are other factors that come into play. You race in a national jersey, and you always have to somewhat adhere to that. It can't be that on Sunday someone in a blue jersey is just following another blue jersey, and someone in orange just has to sit back and follow. Those are very simple things."

That's where you draw the very easy line...

"Correct, because I have far too much respect for someone like Lars van der Haar. If he wins the cross on Sunday, it will be because he was the best. I don't want to make it too complicated, but we have made agreements about what is and isn't allowed."

Niels Albert wrote this week that he doesn't think the defending champion Michael Vanthourenhout is looking in great shape. How do you see it?

"If he wins on Sunday, his form will have come just in time. By that I mean that he hasn't had the best run-up. He has been a bit sick, and you notice that he's lacking that little extra percentage now. I would be surprised if he did manage to close that gap in the last few days, I'm afraid. But it's still Michael, a real championship rider, fully capable of gearing up for that big moment. He knows he's either going to lose or retain a jersey. Practically speaking, I'm not convinced he's gotten into prime shape just yet."

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Michael Vanthourenhout in his European Championship jersey

Eli Iserbyt is doing well, and I think Thibau Nys has turned out to be a bit better than everyone had expected for this season. Do you see it that way too?

"Actually, no. If you had asked me this question six weeks ago, I probably would have said the same thing. I am not surprised by his abilities and what he is showing now, not at all. After last season, I did expect this. He had a very good January, with a strong Belgian Championship and World Championship. I already said back then, that if he had a good summer, he would definitely catch up with the top. And that he would make things quite difficult for the current generation of crossers – so without Van der Poel, Van Aert, and Pidcock. That has been evident. Honestly, I think I wasn't alone in that. Everyone who has a place in the cyclocross scene saw that coming.”

He said himself that a podium finish somewhere would be nice...

"Yes, but he hadn't tasted anything more than that, right? So it's logical to set such goals. Last season, he only made the podium at the Belgian Championship, so he wanted to confirm that. He did better than that, so that's great."

For both Eli and Thibau, it's a really great course. What do you say to those two, knowing that Vanthourenhout is probably not going to be in contention?

"True, but it's my job not to channel that. Michael will not be at one hundred percent, but he will certainly go along for forty minutes or three-quarters of an hour. The result will depend on the last two rounds, that's what I assume. Unless the conditions get really tough, like on the Koppenberg. There will be more riders nearby in that final phase, but the best will win on this circuit. Whether that's Iserbyt or Nys doesn't matter to me. I just think Van der Haar will resist for a long time.”

He's your top favorite, from the sound of it?

"Yes, for me he is, and that's not in an attempt to deflect it from us. I have seen him grow this season and have known him long enough to know that he is always at his best during this period. After the Koppenbergcross, he just radiated in that interview, right? He is fresh and indicated that he didn't even try his best behind Nys. When you say things like that, for me, he is certainly the top favorite."