Lars van der Haar reacts fast mid bunny hop to clear barriers

Dutchman uses unique move to make it over both barriers

Philippe Tremblay December 18, 2017

The worlds top cyclocross racers put on a show nearly ever weekend throughout the fall and into the winter months. Their ability to stay upright on off-camber mud, bunny hop tall barriers and just power through the most technical sections on courses is impressive.

Lars van der Haar has been overshadowed in recent years by Mathieu van der Poel and Wout Van Aert but he’s always been skilled technically and a powerful rider. At the World Cup in Namur, van der Haar finished a distant 19th to winner Wout Van Aert but his free styling skills still impressed.

Just how you planned it, @larsvanderhaar? #WorldCupNamur #UCICXWCNamur #cyclocross pic.twitter.com/Z1PxnyJLPZ

— Jon Vick (@jonvick) December 17, 2017

While the courses main challenges were muddy off-camber sections, and slippery ascents and descents, most of the elite men’s field were bunny hopping the barriers. On one lap, van der Haar managed to make it over the first barrier but quickly dismounted to run the second one. It was a technique few used and showed how quickly the top racers can think on their feet.

It appears van der Haar thought he would be able to make it bunny hopping over both barriers but after clearing the first one bobbled and instead of attempting the second dismounted. The single motion was still smooth despite the complete change in technique. The ease of dismounting mid-barriers without even a moments hesitation is quite something to watch.

The video posted on social media appears to have been sped up but shows how quickly he was able to adjust his strategy. While many riders wouldn’t have been able to maintain their speed in such a maneuver, van der Haar makes it look seamless.