Harrie Lavreysen has won the National Championships gold in the sprint for the third time in a row. The 26-year-old cyclist from Luyksgestel did this for the first time by beating his major competitor Jeffrey Hoogland in the final.
The pair have met each other many times in finals at the World Cup, European Championships and at the Tokyo Olympic Games, but that last happened in a National Championship final in 2016. At that time, Hoogland won. But the proportions have changed. In the last four years he has not been able to beat Lavreysen in a match at the highest level.
In the first stage on Thursday evening, Hoogland waited for his major competitor. He tried to go shoulder to shoulder with the man in the rainbow jersey, but had no answer to the explosion of power: 1-0 Lavreysen.
Lavreysen again showed that he was the strongest in the second stage. He caught Hoogland from the start, accelerated and fought for his second title at this National Championship.
The 26-year-old Brabander already won gold in the kilometer on Wednesday. Hoogland did not participate in that part.