"It was immediately clear to me that he was the better one" - Eli Iserbyt takes victory in Kortrijk after teammate Michael Vanthourenhout gets struck by bad luck
Cyclocross
The X2O Badkamers Trofee race in Kortrijk was tight and exciting from start to finish. Eli Iserbyt took the victory on the day however Pauwels Sauzen - Bingoal didn't exactly have the best of days.
Iserbyt and Michael Vanthourenhout found themselves on the chase in the first half of the race following an attack from Lars van der Haar. “I saw that Michael was super good. We talked for a while and it was immediately clear to me that he was the better one," Iserbyt said in a post-race interview. "Also on a technical level. In that area we tried to hold off a very strong Lars."
In the second half it was a tactical affair. The duo attacked in turns and used the technical sections to allow gaps to be created. The tactic seemed to be going to work as Vanthourenhout led the race into it's finale, but then crashed out. "Then I saw Michael lying down. It was swearing and turning the switch to achieve that victory yourself. On that bend there was only one track and the sun was low, so we didn't see much," he explains.
"He must have gone off track. We rode quite quickly, it was diagonally downwards. I hope it doesn't turn out too bad for him, but it didn't look good. I heard he didn't ride any further. That's a shame. Hopefully he can race tomorrow, because we were going to the airport together. I hope for the best.” Vanthourenhout did not finish the race, and it is unlikely that he will make the trip to Ireland taking into consideration that he is also not in contention for the classification.
Although Iserbyt won the race, Lars van der Haar finished closeby and took several bonus seconds throughout the race. The gap is now of 18 seconds but the Belgian remains hot on the tracks of the classification: “It will be a goal anyway. It's a shame that I'm still losing those bonus seconds, those ten seconds. I think I'm still losing a little time. It is a special classification, but I hope to take back some time in the more difficult races. It's only the second round, so it looks good.”
Read also
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.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
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)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Pidcock finished 9th place, 29 minutes down. he is a helluva rider, so gutsy. and he is amazing at all disciplines. but this headline is . . .mij09-11-2026
- I know, watch the video. and listen to her competitors. it was a tricky tacky call at best. WTF is this guy talking about??? my original comment was from the picture it didn't look like anything.mij09-11-2026
- I dunno what you're talking about. you make no sense. MS's competitor and the competitors coach said it was BS. she didn't deviate in a way that relegation should be required. revel LOL. you're so cool, in your own mind.mij09-11-2026
- deviation lol, watch the videomij09-11-2026
- the 'No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines' comment was unfortunately a bit off. didn't you just boast about your principles in the comments section of another article?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment