"Behind Mathieu I was also the person who wanted to make the race" - Eli Iserbyt best of the rest in Antwerp behind van der Poel and van Aert

Eli Iserbyt continues to impress in the UCI World Cup this campaign. Although Mathieu van der Poel took the win and Iserbyt was unable to edge Wout van Aert for second, another podium finish will go down as another positive performance.

“It was a bit difficult with a very large group,” recalls the Pauwels Sauzen - Bingoal rider post-race. “But I was always in a good position at the start of the lap. I thought they might be at the end of their strength, so with three laps to go I tried to go. I was lucky that Van Aert came over me so I had a bike for me. It was a shame that I had a small crash on the last lap. My plan was to sit in front of Wout at the beams and do something, but I didn't get around to that.”

Despite being beaten by both the multi-discipline stars, the fact that Iserbyt was really able to challenge the duo is a good sign for the competitiveness of the remainder cyclocross calendar. "Normally this isn't really my thing, but they were all short, quite technical sections," he says. "I felt good. I've had a week of training in Spain, so I'm a very recovered person today. This is very helpful. I think that behind Mathieu I was also the person who wanted to make the race.”

His third-placed finish also extends Iserbyt's overall lead in the overall UCI World Cup standings. “In the beginning, Joris Nieuwenhuis and Pim Ronhaar were playing the game a bit. I was getting a little carried away by them. That gave me just that little bit more to make a difference. So all in all it was a super good race,” he concludes.