Lars van der Haar wins in Valkenburg

For the third year in a row, van der Haar was the strongest on the Cauberg to win his first race of the season.

"I felt good today, and I’m happy with the good week of training that I’ve had.

"I wanted to ride my own race on this parcours, rather than sitting on others’ wheels, as it suits me really well.

"Wout [van Aert] went first and I was able to close the gap, which felt good. When he asked me to take over I immediately went full gas and didn’t look back.

"Until the final lap I gave my all, and I recovered a bit so that I could go fast on the hard sections. Taking the victory here is a great feeling."