Eli Iserbyt wins X20 Badkamers Trofeee Kortrijk; Michael Vanthourenhout crashes out whilst leading race in final lap
Cyclocross
It was a very dramatic race in Kortrijk. The second round of the X2O Badkamers Trofee saw Eli Iserbyt take the win in a race that was fully turned on it's head in the final lap as Michael Vanthourenhout crashed hard close to the line.
The start saw Thijs Aerts hit the front, and with a few favourites out of position Lars van der Haar immediately hit the front with a powerful attack. A smart tactic as he distanced his rivals in the cup classification, but had Corné van Kessel for company. The Dutchman kept up with the pace of van der Haar for two laps but then had to let go.
Van der Haar had a gap of around 10 seconds to the chasing group led by Michael Vanthourenhout. Eventually the European Champion set off alone in chase of van der Haar, with Eli Iserbyt, Cameron Mason, Niels Vandeputte and Jens Adams all behind but wit small gaps behind.
Van Kessel began to be caught and dropped by several of these riders, as in the front Vanthourenhout began to close in on van der Haar significantly. In the end of lap 4 the catch was made and this allowed Iserbyt and Mason to bridge across afterwards as the pace slowed down. A stalemate followed, but it was evident that Pauwels Sauzen - Bingoal would play with their numbers, they began to do so shortly after as the rain began to fall on the circuit.
Michael Vanthourenhout took the lead of the race in the final lap and looked set for victory as Iserbyt played up with Lars van der Haar's chase. However drama hit as Vanthourenhout crashed and looked hurt. He was out of contention and race, and his bike disrupted both chasers which saw Cameron Mason get back to the front of the race.
Iserbyt had the lead, and in an all-out effort for the last two minutes the Belgian managed to get a decisive gap and took the victory. Van der Haar sprinted to second place whilst Mason finished third.
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- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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