"Bad luck always comes along" - Laurens Sweeck and Michael Vanthourenhout react to Eli Iserbyt's World Cup win
Cyclocross
Laurens Sweeck finished second in the World Cup Antwerpen, the first World Cup race
of the cyclocross season, and the thirty year old was only beaten by
Eli Iserbyt. Sweeck won 2 world cup races in the 2022/2023 season, and he is
hoping to get back to winning ways soon. Speaking to Sporza after the race,
Sweeck revealed that he was still very happy with his performance.
“I am satisfied. The best rider won. Halfway through
the race I didn't really have an answer to Iserbyt's attack,” he said. "Without
that puncture, it would have been a close call for second place.
“But in the end, bad luck always comes along. This time it
went my way."
Sweeck is still trying to get back to the form that saw him
win the Belgium national championships back in 2020, and he has already had
some strong results this season.
Behind Sweeck, Michael Vanthourenhout took third after he
suffered a puncture on the last lap. “I think I would have been on my way
to second place without that flat tire,” he said.
“Just after the first material post I felt like I was riding
on a flat tire. It was difficult to keep up with Laurens then. It was too close
to the finish to come back.
“I am happy that things are going a bit better again.
I also don’t know why I had a bad period. I consciously chose to go to Spain
last week. It pays off immediately. I hope to be back in Spain after another
week.”
Vanthourenhout went on to congratulate his teammate Eli
Iserbyt on his win, admitting, “"We did feel some pressure from the team,
but also from outside. But, we showed this weekend that we are back as a team.
The most important period starts now, with the World Cup. We hope we can
continue this."
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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