Next Sunday Lars van der Haar will chase a third national cyclocross title in Hellendoorn. The Giant-Alpecin riders admits that it's going to be a tough challenge. "Mathieu van der Poel's just better than me," Van der Haar tells De Telegraaf.

For the 24-year-old rider the Dutch championships in 2014 when he was the outgoing champion, were a disappointment. Mathieu van der Poel - just 19 years old - decided shortly the race to do the National Championships with the pros and won by a large margin. Van der Haar was only third behind Mathieu's brother David. The Giant-Alpecin rider expects another tough race in Hellendoorn.

"I've heard that the course is not very selective. Well, if it's fast, it really is an uphill battle to beat Mathieu. He rides so damn fast that it is almost impossible to follow him. But I will try."

The Belgians have given van der Haar a reputation as a rider who knows how to peak for his goals. When he had red-circkled something, van der Haar usually managed to win. That was the case at the European Championships where he beat Wout van Aert who had looked unbeatable at that point.

"It would be super to repeat that scenario with Van der Poel on Sunday," Van der Haar says. "I wanted to be at my best at the World Cup in Valkenburg, at the European Championships and later at the World Championships in Zolder in late January. The first two goals have been achieved and the course in Zolder suits me well. I will do everything to reduce the gap to the two best riders and I get better every year," he says.