The European cyclo-cross championships were a tough course and race for Lars van der Haar, who played to his strengths as the Dutch rider broke Belgium's stronghold in the men's elite category in front of a large home crowd.

The Belgian rider has been on the top step of the podium in all five rounds so far in the men's elite category of the cyclocross World Cup series.

However, Van der Haar has been away from the winners for some time, but he is still a threat, finishing second at the third round of the World Cup series in Iowa City and then again at the second round in Sonnenhoffen, where he was mid-podium. At last year's European Championships, he swept the top six and the podium with Dutch team Orange, and finished third at the 2020 event.

Again, they were the underdogs, but won for the first time in two years.

"I had to give it my all and try not to lose the lead early on, but I still had to close some gaps. That made for a hard race and I got what I wanted."

Van der Haar took the win on a course that relentlessly climbed the cobbled Col du Vam. Hermans finished second, 25 seconds back, and Michael Vanthourenhout was third, 54 seconds behind the Dutchman.

"I felt really good, but this course was very atypical and tough," said van der Haar in Wielerfritz.

Van der Haar won the European Championship in 2015, again on his home turf, battling with fellow Belgian Wout Van Aert. That year he had already won multiple races that season and went into the race as one of the favorites to win, but this time he had not been on the top step since October 2019.

"It's better this way, much better," Van der Haar told the Dutch website. 'I'm really happy to win a title like this because I haven't won much in all these years.'