Lars van der Haar has confirmed that this winter will be his final competitive season, drawing a line under one of the most accomplished and enduring careers the modern cyclocross era has seen. Now 34, the Dutch rider bows out with a palmarès that stretches from dominant U23 campaigns to major senior titles, World Cup triumphs and a reputation as one of the purest technicians in the sport.
His announcement came via an emotional Instagram message titled The Final Season!, in which he revealed that the decision followed months of reflection. “I’ve had an amazing time on the bike for almost 25 years. It created a whole life for me. I had the chance to work close with my family and friends. I’ve got a whole cross family and I found my wife because of cycling,” he wrote. But he also admitted that the spark had begun to fade in training: “This past year I found it hard to push myself and that made me think about whether this is still something I want to keep doing. After a really hard and difficult period of mixed thoughts, weighing up the pros and cons, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to go for one more season and really give it everything this year, and then start or find a new life and rhythm.”
Photo Credit: David Pintens/BELGA MAG/AFPA career built on early brilliance
Van der Haar’s path into elite cyclocross began long before his 2012 breakthrough. After early years in gymnastics and judo, he shifted to the bike in 2002 and quickly specialised in the field. National junior titles followed, and when he stepped into the U23 ranks in 2010 he immediately became European champion. The following two seasons brought back-to-back U23 World Championship titles, confirming him as the brightest young talent of his generation.
By 2012-13, he had outgrown the development category entirely. Granted dispensation to race a full elite winter, he immediately delivered: second in his first World Cup round in Tábor, a Dutch national title after dethroning Lars Boom, and bronze at the World Championships in Louisville. The foundations of a long and consistently high-level career were firmly in place.
Photo Credit: Cor VosWorld Cup success and European glory
His first major elite victory came in October 2013 at the Valkenburg World Cup. A week later, he won again in Tábor, and by December, he had added Heusden-Zolder to his tally. That run all but guaranteed him the overall World Cup, which he secured with a fourth place in Nommay. He also defended his Dutch title, beginning a cycle of national dominance that would ultimately see him claim the jersey four times.
A defining peak arrived in 2015 when he won the inaugural European Cyclocross Championships in Huijbergen, famously defeating Wout van Aert. It remains one of the most celebrated moments of his career. He would win the European crown again in 2021 on the VAM-berg, nine years after his first senior Worlds podium and in a season where he also won in Tábor, claimed the national title and took his maiden Superprestige round in Asper-Gavere.
Across the years, he accumulated nine World Cup victories, countless podium finishes, and no fewer than eight Elite World Championship medals, including silver behind Tom Pidcock in 2022.
Photo Credit: GettyA rider shaped by cross, and who shaped cross in return
From Las Vegas to Ronse, from the Koppenberg to his home races in the Netherlands, Van der Haar built his reputation on razor-sharp technique, explosiveness on short climbs and a trademark ability to float across treacherous mud. The 2022 Koppenbergcross win epitomised that: after a late crash he still overhauled Michael Vanthourenhout with a stunning final climb to take victory.
Even during the dominant years of Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, he carved out his own space as the ever-consistent challenger, the rider ready to pounce during their rare absences and the heartbeat of the Baloise Lions team, coached by Sven Nys since 2017.
Looking ahead to a final farewell
Van der Haar has always been as grounded off the bike as he is fierce on it. Now living in Woudenberg with his wife, former pro Lucy Garner, and their daughter, he heads into this final season with clarity and purpose rather than reluctance. His decision marks the closing chapter of a career that shaped Dutch cyclocross through two generations and inspired countless young riders who grew up watching his battles with the very best.
As he takes on his final races in the two-striped Lions kit, the sport prepares to say goodbye to one of its most respected figures. Van der Haar leaves behind a legacy built not only on results but on longevity, humility and the unmistakable joy he brought to every muddy, rutted, chaotic lap of cyclocross.
