Cyclo-cross World Cup: Lars van der Haar solos to victory in Maasmechelen

Lars van der Haar (Trek Baloise Lions) came out on top in the second round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, soloing to the victory in Maasmechelen on Sunday afternoon.

The battle between the two pre-race favourites, Thibau Nys (Trek Baloise Lions) and Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen Bingoal) did materialise, but it was only for second place in the end, as Van der Haar slipped clear soon after the half-way mark.

Nys ended up slipping out of contention entirely, as he crashed while duelling with Iserbyt on the final lap, the winner of last week's World Cup in Waterloo falling to seventh place by the finish.

Iserbyt proceeded to place runner-up at 21 seconds, six seconds ahead of Laurens Sweeck (Crelan-Corendon), who rounded out the podium.

• Read more: Cyclo-cross World Cup: Fem van Empel strikes again in Maasmechelen

The Maasmechelen course, adapted from the circuit that was criticised on its debut last year, featured a mixture of sharp climbs, barriers, sand, loose grassy sections, and some faster flat sections. The rain had intensified in the build-up to the start, so the drier conditions in the women's race made way for a slightly muddier affair.

The conditions perhaps forced the favourites into a slew of mistakes, which made for an entertaining and open race. Unlike the women's race, which was a procession for Fem van Empel, there was a large group together just shy of the halfway mark, after Pim Ronhaar (Trek Baloise Lions) had made the early running.

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It was an error-strewn day

After Nys and Iserbyt had already jostled out front, Van der Haar joined the leaders and attacked after 35 minutes of racing. Unlike the others, he made no mistake, and managed to hang on for victory, despite a furious chase behind.

Nys had gone clear in pursuit but was dragged back by Iserbyt to set up a dramatic final lap. But the young Belgian talent got his front wheel mired in a rut towards the very end of a muddy section on the final lap, leaving second place for Iserbyt and Sweeck to mop up from the group behind.

The day, however, belonged to Van der Haar.

"This victory is very important for me. Winning is not easy, there are some very good young guys. But today I was able to benefit from my teammates," he said.

"Two laps from the end I even punctured, but fortunately just before the pits. It remains a 'quirky lap' here in Maasmechelen. It was less dangerous than last year, but it remains very difficult to overtake here. Fortunately, that gives an advantage if you ride in the lead."

Van der Haar's victory propelled him into the overall World Cup series lead in what's now a close-run contest, with the Dutchman on 61 points, Iserbyt on 60, and Nys on 59.

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Lars van der Haar (centre) pulls on the World Cup leader's jersey on the podium