Everyone against Wout van Aert—Or maybe not? Eli Iserbyt had a justified reason to push hard in Benidorm

Iserbyt started the race in the cyclo-cross World Cup strong but also had another task to focus on. “I felt pretty good and kept the pace high in the opening phase for Michael (Vanthourenhout, ed.), as he was in a good position and his spot in the World Cup ranking was on the line. I spent a lot of time at the front to keep the tempo high because we saw that Toon Aerts was trailing. This way, we made sure he couldn’t catch up.”

It wasn’t just the standings that factored into the strategy—it was also Wout van Aert’s rough start. “We didn’t want Wout to rejoin too quickly, as that could have caused Michael to lose places. Apart from the final lap, we managed to keep Wout out of the race. Others benefited from it, but that was our tactic,” explained the Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel rider.

Later in the race, Iserbyt made three more attempts to shake things up. “Ultimately, I performed better than I expected, so it’s disappointing to finish second. Thibau was just a bit stronger on that final climb—he could push an extra 100 to 200 watts. Everyone knew the race would be decided there, and I think I used the right strategy by diving into the descent ahead of Wout.”

"I wasn’t strong enough to climb like Thibau; otherwise, it would have been exciting at the end. I gave it my all to secure second place," said Iserbyt, who managed to think tactically even with a high heart rate. "I knew Wout was going to catch up, but he just slowed down a bit at the top of the climb. That’s when I knew it was the moment to attack because I hadn’t gone as deep as he had. But of course, it’s still Wout, so I focused on securing second place."

Iserbyt looked back on the Costa Blanca cyclo-cross race with satisfaction, especially considering his preparation. "This week, I didn’t train much. Instead, I gave my body the chance to recover from the past few weeks. I spent a lot of time in the gym working on core stability to strengthen the weaker parts of my legs. I think it worked well. I felt very powerful."

"This performance gives me confidence. The win might have been possible, and it’s encouraging for the future. The coming week I’ll focus on training to improve, which could make all the difference," concluded the Belgian, who has set his sights on the World Championships.