Iserbyt lets his legs do the talking! After suspension over 'kicking-incident', Belgian comes back for cyclocross win

After a brief suspension, Eli Iserbyt returns to the field and immediately claims a win. The Belgian was the strongest on Saturday at the Exact Cross in Heerderstrand (located in the Netherlands). Midway through, Iserbyt pulled away from Laurens Sweeck and Pim Ronhaar and soloed to victory in an impressive way.

The time had come: Iserbyt's short suspension was over. The Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal rider had shown his worst side a few weeks earlier at the season opener in Beringen by angrily stomping on the bike of former teammate Ryan Kamp after a crash. Initially, this earned Iserbyt a disqualification, but the UCI later extended the penalty with a one-week suspension.

It initially seemed like Iserbyt would have to sit out three cyclocross races, but in the end, it was only two. This allowed the Belgian to make his comeback in Heerderstrand. The race in this sandy recreational area in the Netherlands was up for grabs for sand specialists, which Iserbyt is not. Sweeck, on the other hand, is. He won again in Essen last week after a long time. Other podium contenders included Belgian Niels Vandeputte, Dutchman Ronhaar and Spaniard Felipe Orts.

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Iserbyt quickly takes the lead

Orts had a strong start and aimed to take the lead going into a turn. However, he slipped when his rear wheel lost traction. Corné van Kessel initially took the lead, but he was soon replaced by the experienced Tom Meeusen.

And suddenly, there was the Belgian champion's jersey at the front. Iserbyt took the lead and executed a smooth first passage through the sand, leaving only Van Kessel on his wheel. The rest of the field was already falling behind. Van Kessel had to let Iserbyt go and was overtaken by Mees Hendrikx, who made an impressive comeback and returned to the front, in Iserbyt's wheel.

In the second lap, Ronhaar attempted to replicate what Hendrikx had done a lap earlier. The Baloise Trek Lions rider came close, nearly making contact, but a few minor slips set him back again. Luckily for Ronhaar, sand expert Sweeck caught up, and the Dutchman latched onto the Belgian’s wheel, allowing him to stay in the lead group.

Iserbyt aims to continue solo, but can't shake Sweeck and resilient Ronhaar

For a brief while, we had a lead group of four. Iserbyt, who didn't feel like having company, surged hard in the third lap. Hendrikx lost ground quickly due to a bike change, but Sweeck and Ronhaar stayed within five seconds of Iserbyt. On the sand, Sweeck demonstrated his expertise, closing the gap to Iserbyt with perfect balance. Ronhaar rejoined, though it cost him more effort.

Iserbyt continued to press. For most of the course, he was stronger than Sweeck and Ronhaar, but on the sandy sections, he always lost the lead he had built up to Sweeck. Ronhaar fought his way back multiple times, but it was uncertain how long he could keep it up.

The constant pressure from Iserbyt began to wear on Sweeck and Ronhaar. In the fifth lap, Iserbyt increased the pace again and even managed to open a gap on a short sand stretch. Smelling an opportunity, he pushed hard. Sweeck and Ronhaar couldn't match his efforts, and that was the end of their chase. Unsurprisingly, Iserbyt set the fastest time of the race in that lap.

Iserbyt firmly in control

From there, Iserbyt extended his lead over Sweeck and Ronhaar to thirteen seconds. The leader seemed to be cruising toward victory, but Sweeck wasn't ready to give up. With a strong performance in the sandy section, he dropped Ronhaar and closed the gap to Iserbyt to seven seconds.

In the end, it was an all-or-nothing attempt. By the penultimate lap, Iserbyt had extended his lead back to thirteen seconds, with Sweeck visibly strained. Exhausted, he had to look over his shoulder as Ronhaar closed in. Iserbyt secured the victory with a flawless finish. Ronhaar finished strong in second after dropping an exhausted Sweeck in the penultimate lap.

Results Exact Cross Heerderstrand 2024

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