Eli Iserbyt vows "to offer as much support as possible" to Wout van Aert at 2025 Cyclocross World Championships

There are plenty of questions heading into the men's elite race at the 2025 Cyclocross World Championships in Lievin this Sunday. Arguably the biggest question is whether or not Wout van Aert can challenge Mathieu van der Poel's dominance. One thing for certain, is that Van Aert can count on the support of his Belgian compatriot Eli Iserbyt. 

"He is above the rest and everyone knows that he is the man in front to get space and do his thing - especially at the start," explains Iserbyt, who himself finished on the podium in the World Championship in both 2022 and 2023, in quotes collected by Sporza from Belgium's pre-World Championship press conference. "It is up to us to ride a very strong race ourselves and to offer as much support as possible to our leader."

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In terms of his own hopes of getting another World Championship podium, Iserbyt sees potential obstacles. "The mud may be a bit of a disadvantage, but I'm not losing courage," he says determinedly. "I'm going to go for it, that third place is very important. Realistically, we just have to admit that there are 2 riders a step higher."

After battling with injury and illness recently, Iserbyt is also more hopeful than expectant of good legs. "It is still very difficult to realize that my body is not 100% and that I will not be this season either," the Belgian explains. "So I have doubts about the first laps. That is really my weak point. But I made the switch and I am trying to make the best of everything this season."

When it comes to supporting Van Aert, Iserbyt has pledged his loyalty. He admits though, that there is only so much he can do if, as expected, Van Aert and Van der Poel are up ahead in the battle for the Rainbow Jersey. "After the first lap, everyone will be able to ride their own race," Iserbyt predicts in conclusion. 

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