Van der Haar beats unlucky Bosmans

U23 world champion Lars van der Haar (Rabobank-Giant Off-road Team) won a muddy edition of the sixth Superprestige round in Diegem on Friday evening. Belgian rival Wietse Bosmans (BKCP-Powerplus) entered the short finishing straight first, but a recalcitrant pedal denied Bosmans a fair chance. With this victory, Van der Haar strengthened his overall lead in the Superprestige Series.

A crash in front of the peloton in the first corner took out some guys but none of the top guns was hindered. American rider Zach McDonald (Rapha-Focus) was at the back of the lead group during the first lap. Some riders including McDonald hopped the barriers.

"I gained places by jumping, so why not," McDonald said. A little later, he found out why not when he had clicked out of his pedal while bunnyhopping. "I went over the handlebars and ate shit, but I was alright. Afterward, I kind of took it easy but I wanted to finish the race," McDonald said.

Small mistakes made the difference in front, and eventually the race turned into a duel between Bosmans and Van der Haar. The latter attempted to sneak away in the last technical sections, but Bosmans stood tall and he even ran up the stairs in front positions. Bosmans was extremely quick to get back on the bike, but then he was unable to click into his left pedal. The small stones in the Diegem mud took its toll, and Van der Haar easily sped to yet another victory.

Mike Teunissen (Rabobank-Giant Off-road Team) won the sprint for third place ahead of his teammate Michiel van der Heyden at half a minute from the winner. McDonald eventually finished 30th at more than three minutes from Van der Haar.

Full Results