Eli Iserbyt has been riding in pain for two years: "To this day, I still don't know what the exact cause is"
Cyclocross
Eli Iserbyt is one of the big names in cyclo-cross in recent years. The 27-year-old Pauwels Sauzen - Bingoal rider was European champion in 2020, has two World Cup medals and two victories in the final overall classification of the World Cup. All this, with a continuous pain that has not gone away for many months.
"I wasn't really into the race because my left leg was really bothering me because of that nerve pain. It's something I've been struggling with the last few years. I tried to work through it, but I couldn't," he explained to IDLProCycling.com. Now, he has given more details about the injury in a statement.
"The story starts two years ago," the Belgian begins his account. "I started the 2022 CX season with discomfort in my left leg. It would pass, I assumed. Little did I know it was the beginning of a frustrating search for relief. That feeling of discomfort turned to pain, and that pain translated into a loss of power. After many frustrating moments, I was left with countless unanswered questions: what is it? What can we do about it?"
The answer to this day: not much. "From the time I got up to the time I went to bed, the pain was, and still is, always there. It is caused by a nerve in my left leg. But what is the exact cause of this nerve pain? To this day, I still don't have an answer to that."
It seems unbelievable, but Iserbyt says he has learned to endure the pain. And yet, he still performs like an elite athlete. "I've learned to give it a place in my life. Even as I write this, I've already changed my sitting posture five times and stretched my leg 10 times. I've lost races in pain, but more importantly, I've won. That feeling of victory gives me courage to keep training, keep going and keep pushing."
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