Pim Ronhaar keeps improving but sticks to his previous statement: "My metrics remain the same'"

We can conclude that Pim Ronhaar is performing increasingly well after he was in second place in Herentals. But the Baloise Trek Lions rider sticks to his earlier statement after the cyclo-cross in Antwerp. "I won't be the best Pim anymore this season," he repeated after finishing second in the battle for the X2O Trophy.

Ronhaar - just like at the World Cup in Dublin two weeks ago - was in the running for the win until the last meters. "I keep improving and progressing. But I don't think I could have won today. I knew where I had to be in the lead. The moment Michael attacked, I was struggling to get into my pedal. I had a hard time with that the whole race," he reflects in conversation with IDLProCycling.com.

"He gains twenty, thirty meters there, and I stay there for a while. It was tough against tough, so then it's a fair result. In the end, I think if I enter the last lap with Michael, he'll defeat me because he's just a little bit better. But we are slowly getting there,' he stated. 'Winning a cyclo-cross is possible, but it will be challenging against those other guys. Everything has to work out then."

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Ronhaar will not be heading to Sardinia next year

Things didn't start well in Herentals due to a crash in the first lap. "My knee is a bit swollen, but all in all, it wasn't too bad. I think I came on with speed, and Toon Vandebosch closed the door. But that can happen. I had to ride full speed for two laps to close the gap to the front, so maybe that makes a difference at the end. But Michael certainly deserved to win today," Ronhaar repeats.

The youngster's result will already be a boost after his lead-up to the race was ruined by various problems. "You can only say congratulations to the winner and I lost today, but I'm delighted with how I feel and still happy to be on the podium." What does that say about the coming weeks? "It might still be a little inconsistent because my basis is a little less, but we keep training hard. There is a beautiful period coming up with only beautiful races in Belgium: Zonhoven, Baal, Koksijde, they all suit me. So, I am curious. I am happy to be fighting for victory now."

"The physical fitness is there, and that's good. But I still don't think I can be the best Pim this season. Last year, I was a step ahead of the rest, but it's not there yet," Ronhaar said. "Maybe that will still come good, but we will see. My values say the same thing. I try to keep training as hard as possible, although that is difficult with the period ahead. I'm also missing out on a training period in Spain, which I regret."

Ronhaar was one of the few cyclo-cross riders who didn't travel to sunny Spain. "I definitely won't go to Sardinia next year," he says. "Then I'll just choose the training period, better preparation for what's to come anyway. I also didn't want to go back and forth from Spain to Sardinia because you keep flying. That takes a lot of energy in the long run, and I can use that energy. I could train well at home, but it was a pity that I lost four, five days with that race in Sardinia."

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