At long last, Eli Iserbyt can finally call himself the Belgian national cyclocross champion. Long-regarded as one of the top names in the sport, Iserbyt had never before managed to claim the Belgian tricolor, until Sunday afternoon.
It's fair to say that Iserbyt's win is one that has gone down well with many fans of cyclocross. Two such delighted observers were Sporza commentary duo, Ruben Van Gucht and Paul Herygers. "Iserbyt had started the season very well, but then: a knock from the hammer. To come out of that in two weeks in full season, then I think this is a pretty memorable title," was Herygers' initial reaction, referencing Iserbyt's battles with illness in recent weeks.
This immense recovery from illness cannot be underestimated Herygers believes. "You don't overcome that," he says in disbelief. "But there are others like that, just look at Michael Vanthourenhout. Eli will have been the only one who knew that Michael got sick too. That he was in the pot with stomach flu. And that will have made Eli better, because he was his big challenger."
"Iserbyt had been the best of the Belgians all year, able to follow the greats at certain times. I think today he was the only one who could take that course to his liking," Herygers concludes. "There are so many stories written today. Joran Wyseure, for example. Who would have expected that one in 2nd place? Should he have planned his season differently too? Should he have focused more on this BK? But I think the right man ran with it."
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