"There is a nine in ten chance that he will fall" - Eli Iserbyt wins Overijse Druivencross, talks on Nys' crash

Eli Iserbyt started last season quite strongly, but had until today not won. The Belgian is leading the Superprestige Cup after a strong performance and a dramatic finale against Thibau Nys once again.

Iserbyt attacked on the second lap of the race, trying to replicate the strategy of Fem van Empel in the women's race which was based on an early move. It looked to be a successful tactic, but the gap began to drop as Thibau Nys began to chase and then Iserbyt was caught. "I let them come back a bit, which was mentally difficult. But I knew I had to focus on the last lap," he says. "It was at the cutting edge and mistakes made the difference.”

Rain began to fall during the race, where different terrain conditions were found. “I think I would lose a little less power if I could continue to ride Grifos (tired, ed.). But of course it started to rain. I then made the choice to ride rhinos. That made a difference for me because my legs were a bit full on the uphill parts. It's (the terrain, ed.) a bit like a stone floor. If you throw a little water on it, it is immediately slippery. It was really slippery. Some riders are technically slightly better. For example, I know that Michael stayed on grifos, but for me that was not possible.”

Then it was a battle between him and Michael Vanthourenhout versus Thibau Nys and Lars van der Haar. All riders hit the front and tried to make the difference, but the decisions would only be made in the final lap. “I thought he would come at the second material station, but he didn't come. Then I knew it was still very difficult for him to get past it," he said of Thibau Nys. The young compatriot tried a very risky move then on a descent to overtake the Pauwels Sauzen - Bingoal rider, but that ended up being the decisive moment of the race as he crashed.

“He passed me very quickly in a practically impossible place. When he passed me, I thought: there is a nine in ten chance that he will fall. I wanted to leave a small gap, because my outcome of the turn was going to be better. He falls very hard. Luckily I wasn't too bad," he added. "I was actually able to just drive over it, which allowed me to take that win.”

A very important win for Iserbyt who celebrated enthusiastically at the finish line. It was his first win of the season in a year where a few riders are having breakthroughs. It also makes him the first leader of the Superprestige cup.