Eli Iserbyt returns to Europe with World Cup lead and boosted morale - "Fortunately, we still managed to win"

Eli Iserbyt has won the World Cup last year and he has started his 2022-2023 bid perfectly with a double win in American soil. After taking a dominant win in Waterloo, Fayetteville saw the Belgian emerge again as the race winner.

He had shown to be the strongest alongside Michael Vanthourenhout throughout the race, and has put on attacks of himself to try and distance former teammate Laurens Sweeck who kept up with the pace. Sweeck found himself again as the main rival, but this time he did not let go of Iserbyt's wheel.

The two went head-to-head in a sprint, to which Iserbyt narrowly took the win. “I still believed that I could win the sprint from Laurens. I boosted myself and that was a good way. With the wind in the head it was my only chance to start the sprint in second position," he explained.

These 2 wins see him already 20 and 33 points ahead of Sweeck and Vanthourenhout in the World Cup. These results propel him into a strong early lead, which he will try to keep throughout the year. Next weekend the riders will already be back to action in the Czech Republic for the third round. “Fortunately, we still managed to win. I am happy that I can leave for Tábor with the (world cup) leader's jersey, but also that it can be done a little closer to home afterwards," he concluded.