"He should not take this too lightly" - Niels Albert advices Eli Iserbyt in regards to reported heart problems

Eli Iserbyt had a great last weekend, taking the Belgian cyclocross title to win another smaller cross the very next day. HLN columnist and former World champion Niels Albert applauds Iserbyt's performances as well as his dedication to the sport, but is also somewhat worried about the heart problem his compatriot encountered towards the end of last year.

"I like that the title goes to a real cyclocross rider," Albert begins his story. "I have a nostalgic sympathy for Eli. I'm not going to compare with my time - cyclo-cross has now been modernized - but his approach gets my respect. Eli rides almost every cross and tries to combine all classifications. Nice and old-fashioned. He is the only one who still does it like this: I think it's great that it works."

"Apparently he had an unusually high heart rate for a while just before New Year's. I can't judge: I'm not a doctor and I don't know Eli's situation. I would like to advise him not to take this lightly," advices Albert, who had to quit with heart problems himself.

"The fact that he sought out a heart specialist says a lot: you don't do that if you're not concerned. So something happened. It is good that he has been given the green light to continue racing, but I would not stop there," he continues firmly. "A problem of the heart is not like a problem in mathematics, it sometimes involves interpreting what you see and assessing what the risks are. I chose safety and I am happy about that today. Perhaps Eli's situation cannot be compared at all, but in his place I would go for a second and third opinion. Life is too precious to take risks."