"I have had a lot of problems with my back and sat on the bike for an hour crying because of the pain" - Pim Ronhaar happy with comeback today in Baal
Cyclocross
Pim Ronhaar was in the podium of the GP Sven Nys Baal today and was joined by two other riders who have an inconsistent set of results but rode strongly this afternoon. The Dutch rider however was pleased after a good performance that followed a difficult period that was marked by a lot of pain.
“I also try to be positive, but after the Lyme virus my form is starting to drop. The past two weeks I have had a lot of problems with my back and sat on the bike for an hour crying because of the pain," Ronhaar shared in words to Wielerflits.
Today was his first podium since the Hulst World Cup. "Today it was a lot better, although it hurt a lot again at the end. But we have a new sponsor, so I think you have to get the most out of yourself.”
Ronhaar and Emiel Verstrynge had strong legs at the start of the race and shared the head of the race ahead of the rest of the field. But Eli Iserbyt had the much needed endurance today and caught up with them later on, and then rode away to his first victory in five weeks. "At one point, with two laps to go, I was on Eli's wheel for a while. When he started to climb, I had the feeling that I was better.”
“Only he could do that for two more laps, I only one. At the end I slowly started to get empty," Ronhaar admits. "I also got back pain, then the strength quickly drains from your legs. But yes, I can be satisfied with second place. I have to be happy, but it is mentally tough. After the summer I had, my form is slowly getting worse. But today I did find my good legs again.”
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🇧🇪Eli Iserbyt s'est imposé sur le #X2OBadkamersTrofee de Baal devant Pim Ronhaar 🇳🇱 et Emiel Verstrynge 🇧🇪
— 🚴 Les Rois du Peloton 🚲 (@LRoisDuPeloton) January 1, 2025
🇧🇪 Thibau Nys a fini 5e.#cx #veldrijden #cyclocross pic.twitter.com/M2IETB5WSz
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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