Lars van der Haar has got the perfect dress rehearsal for his title defence at the Dutch National Cyclocross Championships. The current champion was clearly the strongest in the Centrumcross van Surhuisterveen where he beat Corne van Kessel. The battle for third place was a lot more exciting, with Stan Godrie finally taking the final spot on the podium.

Before the race, Lars van der Haar probably knew that if Corne van Kessel didn't have super legs, no one would be able to follow him. With Ramon Sinkeldam, Thijs van Amerongen, Stan Godrie, Twan van den Brand and Niels Wubben, there were a number of respected pros at the start but on paper they should be no match to van der Haar. The Belgian pros and Mathieu van der Poel all skipped the race. 

The 12th edition of the Surhuistercross followed that logic. Corne van Kessel started faster than everybody else but a fter a few second Lars van der Haar had joined him. Van Kessel then decided to turn it into a track sprint match which allowed Stan Godrie and Niels Wubben to rejoin them. However, van der Haar was no fan of that tactic and after just three laps, he took off in a solo move. At first van Kessel managed to stay at 10 seconds but as the race went on, his deficit reached 45 seconds.

For Van der Haar, it was already the fourth win of the season. Earlier he was the best in the World Cups in Valkenburg and Heusden-Zolder, and in race in Den Bosch. On Sunday, January 11, he will try to defend his Dutch champion jersey in Veldhoven. 

Result:

1. Lars van der Haar

2. Corné van Kessel

3. Stan Godrie

4. Twan van den Brand

5. Gert-Jan Bosman

6. Niels Wubben

7. Patrick van Leeuwen

8. Mariusz Gil

9.Kenneth Van Compernolle

10. Martijn Budding