Lars van der Haar: "Wout van Aert is a very big question mark for me"

Wout van Aert returned to cyclo-cross on December 9th in Essen, followed by Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock's return in Herentals last Saturday. On Friday, the Belgian and Dutchman will cross swords for the first time in Mol, and the day after, the Brit joins them in Antwerp. Lars van der Haar, who has been racing against these men for years, is best placed to explain how he sees the current dynamics.

Van der Haar finished third in Herentals, behind Van der Poel and Pidcock. After the race, he metaphorically tipped his hat to Van der Poel. "I only saw Mathieu at the start, so I didn't even see his first attack. I'm not a fan of a fast start, but it was incredibly fast. I was stuck with my head between the frame."

The man from Woudenberg has been racing against his younger compatriot for quite some time but was literally and figuratively left with his mouth open. "I'm quite impressed by what he showed. Being able to compete like that without prior competition is very strong. Everyone knows he is good, but I had hoped it would take him two laps to get into the race. We really should enjoy that," said Van der Haar, speaking to IDLProCycling.com.

Pidcock's performance in Herentals, which Van der Haar had predicted would lead to a win in Namur, was also scrutinized. "Tom got a bit of a ride from the guys behind and then made the crossover to us. At that moment, he chose his move and had the power to claim second place, so that was impressive. Pidcock was riding at his expected level. He's going to keep growing and growing."

Van der Haar expects a lot from Pidcock but has doubts about Van Aert

After weeks of cyclo-cross competition with various winners, the hierarchy has become clear again following the return of the "Big Three." However, Van der Haar is not upset about it; he primarily highlights the quality of the men in front of him. "We have had some great battles, but I would also like to win solo. If you can pull that off, it is very impressive."

He also suggests the races won't lack excitement. "Pidcock is definitely looking to outdo Mathieu again, and that's something to watch out for. But with Wout, I'm not so sure. Is he up for challenging Mathieu? I remember last year, they both didn't realize the toll it takes, the intense effort and exertion involved," Van der Haar comments.

For Van der Haar, questioning this is almost like answering it. He's particularly curious about Van Aert's plans. "Looking at Wout's current schedule and his focus on the spring season, I'm not convinced he's ready to face Mathieu every week, especially given Mathieu's impressive form." It looks like we'll get some answers in the upcoming races in Mol and Antwerp.