“Laurens Sweeck should be disqualified" - Eli Iserbyt fuming after clash with Sweeck at Parkcross Maldegem

Laurens Sweeck has been no stranger to controversy in recent months. First, there was his altercation with Michael Vanthourenhout and now it seems Eli Iserbyt is the latest to have a complaint.

In the final lap of the recent Parkcross Meldegem, the battle between Sweeck and Iserbyt intensified. “Laurens Sweeck should be disqualified,” a furious Iserbyt told the jury chairman following the conclusion of the race. “He rode me into the fences. This is not possible. It is not the first time he has done something illegal in the cross. It was just the same as in Otegem. Sweeck is not allowed to be on stage.”

Of course, there are always two sides to every story and unsurprisingly the opinion of Sweeck himself is different. “Those things just happen in a cross. Easy. No more, no less,” the 29-year-old Crelan-Fristads rider said. “Eli was on the attack halfway through. I was trapped by the men of his team. But Iserbyt made a mistake in the sandbox. Then I was able to close the gap. I did not hold back and continued on my momentum and immediately launched the attack.”

The jury was not convinced by Iserbyt and as such did not change the result of the race. Sweeck kept his 2nd-placed finish whilst Iserbyt had to settle for 5th.