Lars van der Haar triumphed again a week after the European Championship, this time in the World Cup round in Tabor. He preceded Eli Iserbyt, who is doing a good job in the World Cup standings.
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It had been January 2017 that Lars van der Haar could win a World Cup cross, but today there was no measure on the European champion.
The Dutchman put in a first attack in round two and turned it into a real battle of attrition. Both the men of Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal and teammate Toon Aerts occasionally took over, but in the final round Van der Haar showed who the captain was.
With some blistering intermediate sprints he knocked Eli Iserbyt out of the wheel and rode solo to the finish. Iserbyt had to settle for second place for Quinten Hermans, who drove a strong race after a flat tire.
Iserbyt doesn’t win today, but does make a golden case in the standings. First pursuer Michael Vanthourenhout finished in 5th place and therefore loses a lot of ground. Van der Haar is the first pursuer on 61 points.
Hermans has a leak
Iserbyt attacks, Van der Haar follows easily
Watch the final round:
Van der Haar: “I am also tired”
- Lars van der Haar: “I also exhausted myself today. That’s nice. I felt Iserbyt attacked and I had a surplus, so I knew I had a chance to win. Niel went well and so I came to Tabor today with a lot of confidence. “
- Eli Iserbyt: “Second was the highest achievable for me. Lars kept riding, I had a lot of soup in the final lap. A lot of stones came up in the last laps, so I had to pay attention. I’m up for the third year riding second in Tabor, which is disappointing. But I’m looking forward to next week.”
- Quinten Hermans: “I finish in 15 seconds, so I feel like I could go on longer without a flat tire. I wasted a lot of energy in the chase. It’s always nice to be on the podium in the World Cup. I might do it next year take off my mustache, then I’ll get a little closer.”
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