"The World Cup without start money is unaffordable" - Eli Isebyt confirms financial difficulties within cyclocross

The CEO of Flanders Classics, Tomas Van Den Spiegel, questioned the start money in cyclocross. Now Eli Iserbyt has responded to Tomas Van Den Spiegel's statements.

In an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, he said, "It makes sense for Tomas Van Den Spiegel to question the start money, but then the prize money or expenses for the teams have to go up substantially. Now the World Cup without start money is unaffordable, especially for foreign riders."

Moreover, he provided an example and shared his earnings from last season to demonstrate the importance of money. "Last winter, I won the World Cup and got 30,000 euros. If I subtracted expenses and taxes, a net of 5,000 euros remained. From number three in the final standings, it was even loss-making. That can't be the intention," concluded the Belgian rider.

He shares the concerns of Lars van der Haar, who recently commented that it is not financially beneficial to race outside of Belgium and the Netherlands, and that has an impact on his calendar choices.