Lars van der Haar and Mathieu van der Poel welcome the comeback of Lars Boom on the cyclo-cross scene. Both riders appreciate his presence in seven races this winter. "If he does well, he will certainly add value to the Dutch team," Van der Poel told WielerFlits.

The Netherlands is currently at the top of the cyclo-cross world. That sounds strange given the supremacy of Wout van Aert but with Lars van der Haar and Mathieu van der Poel the country has both the European and world champion in its ranks. With the arrival of former world champion Lars Boom, the Belgians will have another great Dutchman to contend with. "It's a good thing for cyclo-cross that Boom and also Zdenek Stybar will return to cross. They also have every right to be there," said Van der Poel. "For the focus on cyclo-cross, it will be a boost."

In addition to the races in Antwerp (19/12), Bredene (28/12) Loenhout (29/12) and Surhuisterveen (2/1), Boom hopes that national coach Johan Lammerts will select him for the World Cups in Namur (20/12) and Heusden-Zolder (26/12). Very secretly, he even dreams about the Worlds in Heusden-Zolder but the Netherlands can only choose eight riders for those three races. Hence, the coach has to disappoint either Mathieu van der Poel, Thijs van Amerongen, Twan van den Brand, Stan Godrie, Lars van der Haar, Corné van Kessel, David van der Poel or Niels Wubben to make room for Boom. Van der Poel sees no problems: "If he is better than someone who has been selected, Boom naturally deserves to be there. It depends on how good he is but if he is in good shape, Lars is certainly an asset for the Dutch team.”

Van der Haar also welcome Boom – and Stybar – to the cross scene. "Stybar and Boom can add something to cyclo-cross. They are riders who can do well. So far the favourites have mainly been Wout van Aert and me and every now and then Sven Nys. For the races and for the public, it is good and gives an additional boost,” he said.

On Wednesday, Lars Boom did not rule out that he will do the Worlds in Heusden-Zolder. Van der Haar likes the idea. "Even though I don’t think the course in Zolder suits him like it did in the past. More and more technical sections have been added since last year and for the Worlds there is even an extra climb. It's no longer a question of just going full gas to take the win. But if Lars sees opportunities, I would love to have in the Dutch team. He can make the tactical game different," Van der Haar tells the new magazine of Cycling.be.

Director at the Dutch Federatin Huib Kloosterhuis is also pleased with Boom’s comeback. According to him, nothing will prevent him from getting selected for the World Cup and the Worlds.