Crucial eye-opener for "scared" Van der Haar, who, alongside Ronhaar and Nys, also praises Haverdings

Lars van der Haar had a strong finish in the Superprestige of Overijse. The Dutchman from Baloise Trek Lions initially was playing catch-up but could eventually advance to third place. However, he was unsatisfied: according to the 33-year-old cyclist, more was possible. This is a critical eye-opener heading into a crucial week.

Afterward, Van der Haar regretted his passive race behavior. "I shouldn't have been so far in the back. I don't think I rode a good race," he said briefly in the flash interview. I was better than I displayed today. I was too scared to do anything, and my legs didn't feel how I wanted them to feel. I didn't have a good feeling. That left me waiting too long."

"Once the race cracked open, I felt that the legs were better than I might have expected, but because I didn't race myself, I couldn't get a better result," he continued. "I can only blame myself for that. But seeing what Thibau (Nys, ed.) did today doesn't matter to us as a team."

'Maybe a bad general is good for the Koppenberg,' he said, ending the interview on television by laughing. After the podium ceremony, he then came over to IDLProCycling.com, where he tried to pinpoint the reason for his lack of confidence. "I think I also had to get a little used to the fact that we were riding here with such a big group. The legs just didn't feel right, just like in Ruddervoorde. So I wanted to wait a bit, and the legs would come through. But I waited too long in the end, so someone else took control of the cross. Then you're playing catch-up."

So there was more possible, but this day perhaps came at the right time. Will he dare to go all-in again based on his knowledge of Overijse, as he did with his two victories in Beringen and Woerden? "Twice there, I had a super day, with the right feeling in the legs at the start. Now, it felt a little sluggish. I have good strength and condition, so it will depend on how fresh I am on the day. I can list ten names that can win the European Championship on a lap like this, with the Belgians having the advantage regarding the number of riders. There are four of us, but that means we don't have to look at each other. There are chances, so I want to go for that."

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Those four at the European Championships, in addition to Van der Haar, are Pim Ronhaar, Ryan Kamp, and Mees Hendrikx. Ronhaar is Van der Haar's teammate, who has rock-solid confidence in him. "Pim is always going to perform well; I'm slightly afraid. Even after his preparation (with crashes and illness, ed.), he already has another podium behind his name," said Van der Haar, who then names his 20-year-old teammate David Haverdings. He finished ninth and is riding at the European Championships in the U23s. "I think it's brilliant what David Haverdings is doing, a boy who still has much to do and needs to learn. However, he shows he is there and didn't drop far back today after a good start. He rode along cleverly, so we can start enjoying that."

Add to that the winner of the day, Thibau Nys, and you have four from Baloise Trek Lions, who can still provide a lot of joy in the months following the European Championships. "Thibau completely surprised me today because, in the last few weeks, he didn't show at all that it was in the cards. That has, as with me, mainly to do with confidence. He probably also had these legs last week, but it just didn't work out," Van der Haar said. "With everything the season still brings, I hope we can win as much as possible with the team, with which we can also immediately thank the new sponsor, Glowi."

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])