World Cup leader Lars van der Haar (Giant-Shimano) will miss the second round of the prestigious cyclocross series to be held Saturday in Koksijde, Belgium. The 2013-2014 ‘cross World Cup winner has a fever and was told by his doctor not to race.
“I’m not allowed to start tomorrow in World Cup Koksijde,” van der Haar tweeted. “I still had a slight fever waking up. So doctor is giving the order not to start.”
After winning the first World Cup round in Valkenburg, Netherlands in October, the 23-year-old cyclocross star looked to be on track for another run at the series title. However, he will face an uphill battle after this setback.
“Maybe if I recover well today, I’ll be allowed to start SP Spa-Francorchamps,” the Dutch cyclocross champion said on Twitter, referring to Sunday’s Superprestige race in Belgium. “But this all depends on how I feel. 🙁 I’m gutted not to start!”
Kevin Pauwels (Sunweb-Napoleon) sits second behind van der Haar in the World Cup, and Corné Van Kessel (Telenet-Fidea) is third going into the second round at Koksijde.