On Monday, Lars van der Haar made his return after he suffered a muscle tear in his thigh in November. Yesterday he started in Loenhout. "Hopefully, it will be better every time," he told Wielerflits.

Van der Haar finished 31st in the World Cup race in Heusden-Zolder, a little more than five minutes behind winner Wout van Aert. 

"Physically it went well. I had just a small setback after the crash on the stairs. I fell back and lost many places so I dropped from twentieth to thirtieth place. But I finished and that was the main thing. Hopefully, it gets better every time.

In the crash, van der Haar got another small injury. On a photo, it is evident that his ankle is swollen. "Nothing special," he said. "It's just a swelling that goes away. For the rest, I felt some stiffness after the race but otherwise it was okay. After Loenhout, I will ride in Surhuisterveen and at the Dutch championships."

Hence, there is no talk of another setback after his performance in Heusden-Zolder. However, Van der Haar warns that he needs at least another month to get back to his best.

"I have no idea what is possible in the coming weeks. I hope to get back to my normal level at the end of January. The period that comes now should show what is possible. "