Team boss reacts furious at Iserbyt suspension: "You cannot punish someone twice for the same incident"

Last Saturday, the Dutch Kamp tried to overtake its Belgian competitor. He didn't do so skillfully: after a collision with their shoulders, both riders crashed. Iserbyt fell on a wooden pole and was visibly annoyed by the action. He thought Kamp was at fault, and in a fit of rage, he decided to play the judge: he savagely smashed Kamp's derailleur. Kamp had to walk to the material zone, and Iserbyt was disqualified moments later.

At the award ceremony for best Belgian cyclist (Remco Evenepoel won that prize for the men; Lotte Kopecky won for the women), Iserbyt expressed his regret to Het Laatste Nieuws. "I just saw afterward that I made a big mistake. It was an out-of-control moment, a wild reaction. That's not supposed to happen during such a sporting event, especially as Belgian champion. I do realize that. My apologies have also been sent to Ryan, the team, and the organization. To many people: I do realize that it is not done. I'm now looking forward to the next cross country and trying to start training again with renewed courage."

Iserbyt's actions sparked widespread debate in Belgium. Former cyclo-cross rider Bart Wellens called for harsher penalties than just a disqualification and a 100 Swiss franc fine. "Honestly, I think there will be more consequences to come," Wellens added. "A suspension alone isn't enough. The UCI will need to send a clear message." Others, like Paul Herygers, felt that would be too much. "There's no need to revisit it. The race officials did what they needed to do by disqualifying him, and that should be the end of it."

In the end, Wellens was proven right by the UCI. The international cycling federation imposed a three-race suspension on Iserbyt for the incident. This means the Belgian will miss the races in Essen and Ruddervoorde in Belgium this weekend, as well as the race in Heerderstrand in the Netherlands. Additionally, the UCI fined him 2,500 Swiss francs.

After the Exact Cross in Essen, the other key figure in the incident, Kamp, spoke to Sporza. "Iserbyt called me on Saturday evening to apologize. I don't see why I wouldn't accept his apology. For me, it was already over at that point." Kamp also finds the suspension unnecessary. "It's not up to me to decide. The UCI made that decision. But for me, it would have been fine even without the suspension."  

On Sunday, the team manager of Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal, Jurgen Mettepenningen, reacted furiously at Sporza during the Superprestige cross in Ruddervoorde. "We were shocked," he said of the UCI's decision to suspend Iserbyt for three crosses. The UCI announcement came on Saturday when the Essen cross was on the program. "We were just ready to leave for the cross in Essen," Mettepenningen said of the unpleasant timing.

"The disappointment was huge," he continued. Mettepenningen blames the UCI for acting unprofessionally. "I also find it unacceptable that this ruling came so late. Why do they let him cross in Ardooie this week and then only come with the news of the suspension on Saturday? I don't think that's professional. Iserbyt initially received a small fine after the incident and was disqualified in Beringen. 'You can hardly punish someone twice for the same incident, right? That is what happened now."

Missing the cross of Ruddervoorde was a bitter pill for Iserbyt. "We wanted to start. Eli's roots are here," Mettepenningen said. "His suspension also affects the organizer of Ruddervoorde because, without Eli, there are fewer supporters here," the team boss suspected. "Mentally, it is tough for Eli. The public's reactions to him are also disappointing. He will have to counter that with athletic performance, but it's all not easy."

By missing the cross in Ruddervoorde, Iserbyt is directly behind in the classification of the Superprestige. He will also miss the second cross in the series, so winning the classification is already impossible. "You don't make up for the deficit in Ruddervoorde. His Superprestige classification is already game over. The consequences of that suspension are profound."