Lars van der Haar sprints to victory at Koppenbergcross

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Lars van der Haar (Baloise Trek) broke the Bingoal-Pauwels Sauces blockade to pull off an astounding come-from-behind victory in the Koppenbergcross 2022. 

With only half a lap to go, it appeared that Van der Haar's hopes were dashed when he slid out in a tight off-camber turn, opening what looked like a race-winning gap to Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauces-Bingoal).

But the European Champion, who looked so strong on each of the ascents of the fearsome cobbled climb, closed down the gap to Vanthourenhout on the steepest pitches and then powered to the line victorious.

Defending Koppenbergcross champion Eli Iserbyt couldn't match Van der Haar but got past his teammate Vanthourenhout to take second.

"Michael [Vanthourenhout] drove away, but I felt I was better than him. I just couldn't drive too fast to him, because then I risked a counter from Eli [Iserbyt]," Van der Haar said about his final attack to Sporza. 

"I saw that I was getting closer too quickly, I had to keep the gap and do it in the sprint. If you are explosive, you can still make up for an incredible amount in the last meters.

"I am happy, very happy, because I want to win this cross all my career," added Van der Haar in his final race in the European Champion jersey before he defends in Namur on Sunday.

The Baloise Trek team signalled their intent from the start, with Pim Ronhaar and Thibau Nys taking off from the gun and pushing the pace up the Koppenberg. Iserbyt made his way through traffic to crest the climb near the front of the X2O Badkamers Trofee. 

The Baloise Trek riders nullified the usual one-two punch of Iserbyt and Vanthourenhout on the first lap, but Van der Haar was strong and attentive, marking every surge from the World Cup leader Iserbyt.

On the fourth lap, the trio had distanced the rest of the field, and it appeared the race would be fought by just Van der Haar and Iserbyt when the Belgian attacked on the fifth trip up the climb. But Iserbyt dropped his chain and had to stop, briefly holding up Van der Haar. The resulting slow-down allowed Vanthourenhout to bridge across from behind and put Van der Haar back in a Bingoal sandwich. Iserbyt later revealed the chain issue had left him climbing the Koppenberg in the big ring, burning an important match.

In the last lap, Vanthourenhout was in the lead, with Van der Haar looking ready to pounce at any moment, and Iserbyt seemed lacking after his previous efforts. But the European champion slid out in a turn, and Vanthourenhout opened up what should have been an unassailable lead.

However, Van der Haar went into the Koppenberg with a look of sheer determination and emptied what was left in his afterburners to power up the Koppenberg to pass Vanthourenhout and hold off Iserbyt to take the cobble trophy.

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