Thibau Nys disgusted with his own final lap, but he has won the heart of Van der Haar: "I really appreciate that"

The Strawberry Cross in Merksplas is part of the Superprestige series and provided a great spectacle on Saturday. The entire race longa large group stayed together on a fast-paced course. Nys never overexerted himself and seemed on track for another victory. And then everything went wrong. "I think I did everything perfectly, up until that last half-lap, where I was way too passive and too lax. If you still feel like you have the power to correct things, that's nice. But I didn't get that opportunity anymore because I waited too long. I have to be disappointed about that, a wasted victory," he said very passionately in the mixed zone.

For a moment, it looked as though the European champion had a flat tire, but in the final corner before the finish, he stopped pedaling, allowing Van der Haar to overtake him for third place. It turned out to be a tactical move. "I'm not competing in the Superprestige standings, so it can only help him if he gains one or two extra points," Nys said matter-of-factly. For him, Merksplas was all about one thing. "I don't care much about that podium slot. I just really wanted to win the race. Especially when you have the feeling in your legs that it’s possible, it's a shame."

The self-reproach didn’t end there. "A missed opportunity," Nys emphasized again. "You can only blame yourself for the mistake. It was very difficult to make the difference, with lots of bumps and bouncing. There were few stretches where you could really hit the throttle. Normally, I’m good at that and I had confidence, so I don’t know why I was a bit passive at the end. That’s not like me. Another chance on Sunday? Yes, we’ll go full throttle."

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A third place in Merksplas — Van der Haar would have happily agreed to that result right after the start. After he crashed over the barriers during the reconnaissance, the Dutchman also had a dramatic start. "I got my shorts caught on my saddle, so I was immediately far behind. I wasn’t in the race at all during the first half and really struggled. Eventually, I managed to get through and dared to jump the barriers again. That was my moment of calm to get back into the race. In the last lap, I was stressed at the barriers, but I had to go over them. I knew I should be able to do it, but during warm-up, I crashed once, so I wasn’t completely comfortable," he recounted with a laugh.

Van der Haar never really returned to the front, so the third place at the end was a big surprise. "I never fought for the victory, but I got a gift from Thibau, and that's very nice. We had agreed beforehand that if it came down to an unimportant spot... But I did say that for a podium place, it was up to the rider himself. Apparently, Thibau thought it was enough to give this to me, and I really appreciate that. The Superprestige is about the final points, and for a long time, I thought it would be difficult to catch up to Niels Vandeputte, so this is very nice."

It reflects the mutual bond within Baloise Trek Lions, which, according to Van der Haar, is currently a great team with a good dynamic. "At the moment, we’re not getting in each other's way and can support each other. I’m the veteran, and they (Nys, Pim Ronhaar and David Haverdings, ed.) are the up-and-coming riders. At the start of the season, they weren’t there yet, and I took over everything, then came Thibau’s period, and if one of us makes a mistake, someone else steps in. Pim is currently going through a rough patch, but he’ll come back. Because we are performing well, he can do his thing with peace of mind. That means there is less external pressure."