Lars van der Haar managed to claim victory at the Koppenbergcross in the elite men’s category. In the traditionally All Saints’ Day (November 1) race, he took control of the grueling course around the Bult van Melden. The race was marked by an incident where a spectator threw beer over Eli Iserbyt. Friday at 3:00 PM: the Koppenberg cross. Just 48 hours later: the European Championship cross in Pontevedra, Galicia. These aren’t easy weekends for a cyclocross racer—or perhaps they’re exactly what they train for. After all, these are the races many riders live for: a classic on Friday,
followed by a championship on Sunday.
In his pre-race interview,
Thibau Nys remarked that "the best would win" on the Koppenberg. "There won’t be much difference made on technique. Everyone rides around here feeling like the course is unforgiving. But it’s one of the races marked as very important; for me, it’s almost as important as the European Championship," said the son of nine-time Koppenberg conqueror Sven.
Nys misses the start, Lauryssen takes an impressive lead
When the starting gun went off, it was Thijs Aerts (whose brother Toon was on row four) who took the lead, while Nys only came up in twelfth position on the first pass of the well-known cobbled climb. The first surprising name to create a gap was Yorben Lauryssen. The “domestique” for Pauwels Sauzen Bingoal managed to put some pressure on Nys, which could work to the advantage of his teammates Iserbyt and
Michael Vanthourenhout.
And so it happened: Iserbyt launched the chase, with Thijs Aerts and Vanthourenhout following closely. Aerts had to drop back, leaving it suddenly as a 1-2-3 for the Sauzen riders. Nys wanted to chase on the Koppenberg but slipped, unintentionally blocking both
Toon Aerts and himself. Nys’s second attempt was also thwarted when he got caught on a barrier.
Meanwhile, Lauryssen handed the lead to Vanthourenhout and Iserbyt, though there was an unfortunate incident: Iserbyt was hit with a full cup of beer, which was clearly captured on camera. The police promptly responded, seizing the offender quite literally and figuratively by the collar. This, too,
was captured on camera, ensuring this man won’t forget All Saints' Day anytime soon.
Read more below the video
At the front, the race regrouped: Nys, Toon Aerts, and Van der Haar joined Vanthourenhout and Iserbyt, creating a strong quintet on the Koppenberg. When four of them dove into the pits, the fifth (Van der Haar) attacked. Iserbyt had to respond to this, but... his counterattack stalled.
Nys played it smart, allowing his teammate to create a gap, but then struggled himself when Iserbyt put the power down on the Koppenberg. With two laps remaining, the gap was thirty seconds, but the chase was still on. However, the leader held off the attack, securing another major victory for Van der Haar, signaling he’s ready for the European Championship this Sunday. Iserbyt and Aerts claimed the remaining podium spots.
Results X2O Trofee Koppenbergcross Oudenaarde men 2024