Not just Nys, but World Championships at risk for Eli Iserbyt too: "The body does not yet have the strength I want to give on those pure power sections"
Cyclocross
The Belgian men's elite team for the Cyclocross World Championships is highly disputed with so many talented riders, and in this environment the smallest of issues can result in a switch. Thibau Nys' illness puts him at risk of missing the race, but Eli Iserbyt's leg injury poses a similar risk.
In Hoogerheide, the Pauwels Sauzen - Cibel Clementines rider rode to a sixth place, 2:33 minutes behind Mathieu van der Poel, but this was a race of two halves - the first of which he was not even riding within the Top10. This is because his nerve injury was hampering him significantly.
“My second and third laps were really bad. I had to slow down my pace to work off the acidification [in the legs]. And in the last lap I had a small crash. I was a bit behind, but I gave it my all. It was a good second half of the race, but the first half wasn’t that good.”
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His comeback was quite strong, perhaps a glimpse into his real form, but the frequency in which he is harmed by this, and how it usually related to the heavy courses with a lot of mud or slow sections, poses a problem for Lièevin. “I had some problems with my leg. After 25 minutes it got better again. The running was just a bit too hard. I was just over the limit there. I felt that I had to slow down my pace, but the last two or three laps went really well.”
“I felt it coming on just on that part of the climb. Running uphill is always a weak point. It goes with ups and downs, but I hope to work well for a week now and get a bit better for next weekend," he says. The Belgians announced Wout van Aert as the ninth rider for the worlds, which will certainly put Belgium in a stronger position to fight for the gold medal in France.
The course conditions will largely change the chances of Iserbyt being within the mix for a medal. "Fast courses are going very well, but mud courses are a bit of a drama for me at the moment. The body does not yet have the strength I want to give on those pure power sections.”
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UCI World Cup podiums with 🇳🇱 MVDP and 🇧🇪 WVA:
— Cyclocross24.com (@cyclocross24) January 25, 2025
🇧🇪 Toon Aerts 10x
🇧🇪 Kevin Pauwels 5x
🇬🇧 Tom Pidcock 5x
🇧🇪 Michael Vanthourenhout 3x
🇳🇱 Joris Nieuwenhuis 2x ⏫
🇳🇱 Lars van der Haar 2x
🇧🇪 Laurens Sweeck 2x
🇧🇪 Eli Iserbyt 2x
🇧🇪 Sven Nys 1x
🇧🇪 Thibau Nys 1x
🇧🇪 Gianni Vermeersch 1x pic.twitter.com/rD8y7pn3rN

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.
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