Cycling: Lars van der Haar (Giant-Shimano) was the measure of all things again this year at the World Cup opener in Valkenburg. In the end, the Dutch champion was 26 seconds ahead of Kevin Pauwels (Sunweb-Napoleon Games) and the surprisingly strong Corne Van Kessel (Telenet – Fidea).
Like a year ago, Van der Haar was able to celebrate not only the day's win but also the overall lead in the World Cup. The Dutchman dominated the race from the start and was able to break away from his last companion halfway through the race after Pauwels fell and had to let his pursuers catch up. Pauwels' teammate Klaas Vantournout took fourth place.
The start was somewhat more restrained for the German champion Philipp Walsleben (BKCP-Powerplus), who was also in the chasing group and drove a good race. In the end, however, he had to accept a 48-second deficit on Van der Haar and settle for seventh place. However, he was only just behind the podium places.
The American Jeremy Powers (Focus), who finished ninth, also drove a surprisingly strong race. Top favorite Sven Nys (Crelan-AA Drink) did not have a good day and gave up the race early.
In the women's category, Katy Compton (Trek) also won as a soloist ahead of European Champion Helen Wyman (Kona) and Sophie De Boer (Parkhotel Valkenburg).