Eli Iserbyt looks to put pressure on Mathieu van der Poel: "The longer he waits, the more our morale will be boosted"

The cyclocross World Championships are about to climax. The men's elite road race feature Mathieu van der Poel as the man to beat, and a pack of hungry sharks including Eli Iserbyt eager to take advantage of any little mistake.

"A lot depends on how Mathieu starts and his condition on the day itself. If he rides like he did in Hamme and Hoogerheide, then we need to try to stay with him as long as possible. On the other hand, he can also break away easily. But: the longer he waits, the more our morale will be boosted," Eli Iserbyt argued in words to In de Leiderstrui. "Going along with Mathieu does come with a risk. Older riders might consider this, whereas the younger ones may not."

With the gold medal as a possibility, riders are likely to take big risks in Tabor. The tough, technical and slightly muddy course in the Czech Republic will prove to be a big challenge. Iserbyt has had a successful season and is hoping to jump into the podium, after last year's strong performance in Hoogerheide which earned him bronze only behind van der Poel and Wout van Aert.

"With or without Mathieu, each scenario has its own appeal. It doesn't necessarily get easier because everyone's goal is to perform their best. The World Championship is a different beast altogether, where many outcomes are possible. You could have six or seven potential world champions, but that's all speculative," the Belgian continues. "With Wout, we've had clear strategies, even last year. The start was crucial, but then again, it always is."

The Netherlands and Belgium both come in with several contenders to the medals and will most likely swarm over the front of the race. "Every Dutchman is the same. All three (van der Haar, Nieuwenhuis, Ronhaar, ed.) are equally good. Sometimes one is better, other times another."

They are most likely to be Iserbyt's main rivals on the day, whilst he can count on the collaboration with European Champion Michael Vanthourenhout and perhaps Thibau Nys. "They're all very good, and it could easily be the Dutch taking places one through four, so we can't be oblivious to that."