"Second place was the highest possible today" - Eli Iserbyt defeated for the first time at Superprestige cup this season

Saturday, 18 November 2023 at 17:42

Eli Iserbyt had a difficult time in the muddy circuit of the Superprestige Merksplas race this Saturday, but saved the day with a second place at the end. He settled with what was the best result he could achieve he says, but extended his cup lead.

“In the beginning, Joris [Nieuwenhuis] was already riding very fast, but then I was already at my limit. I wasn't super good either, but good. In the last two lap it was a matter of character trying to get on the podium or achieve second place," Iserbyt shared in a post-race interview. "I saw that Sweeck was not sitting close to me. I think I did a good job for the rankings and second place was the highest possible today.” Iserbyt found himself chasing together with Felipe Orts throughout most of the race. He was briefly dropped by the Spaniard, but in the final two laps of the race he bounced back to overtake the two riders that were closest to him.

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“We had to persevere, it was really Flandrien weather. I was a little bit affected by the cold, but I hope to recover," he says. He went through Orts and Niels Vandeputte to finish second on the day. With Laurens Sweeck only managing eighth on the day, it boosts the Belgian's lead. "It is certainly not easy to participate in all those races. It is an ambitious plan, so it is normal that sometimes you do not participate for the victory. Tomorrow is also very important for me, so I think I have started a weekend. And like I said: Joris was super strong, so congratulations for his victory.”

Iserbyt races the Troyes World Cup tomorrow where he will be a contender, but he is aware that today's fatigue and last-minute travelling can pay a price. "I have to lose a little time at the checkpoint first, so I will be in the camper late tonight. But I'm going to take good care of myself and it's part of it," he concludes. "Fortunately, Troyes is not very far, so I am looking forward to being at the start again tomorrow.”

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🏆 Superprestige Merksplas (C1) 🇧🇪 1 🇳🇱 Joris Nieuwenhuis 2 🇧🇪 Eli Iserbyt 3 🇧🇪 Niels Vandeputte 4 🇪🇸 Felipe Orts Lloret 5 🇧🇪 Gerben Kuypers ➡️ Results: bit.ly/49JrxOs