Van Aert and van der Poel absent, Belgian Iserbyt wins first round of the World Cup

Belgian champion Eli Iserbyt won the first round of the cyclo-cross World Cup in Antwerp on Sunday, in the absence of the two leaders of the discipline, Wout Van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel.

The Belgian and the Dutchman are currently on training in Spain, focused on their road preparation, and will probably only start their season on plowed roads at the end of December.

Without this competition, Iserbyt (27 years old), already winner of the World Cup in 2022 and last year, won alone in front of his compatriots Laurens Sweeck and Michael Vanthourenhout.

Third in the European Championships won at the beginning of November in Pontevedra in Spain by his compatriot Thibau Nys, the Flandrien signed his third success of the season during this “cross of the Scheldt”.

Reduced by a shoulder injury, Nys only finished in 12th position.

Among the women, the Dutch world champion Fem van Empel largely dominated the Antwerp event.

The second round of the World Cup, reduced to twelve events compared to fourteen in previous seasons, is scheduled for December 1 in Dublin.

The ranking in Antwerp:

1. Eli Iserbyt (BEL) a 58:56

2. Laurens Sweeck (BEL) at 17.

3. Michael Vanthourenhout (BEL) at 28.

4. Joran Wyseure (BEL) at 34.

5. Niels Vandeputte (BEL) at 44.

6. Lars van der Haar (NED) at 54.

7. Pim Ronhaar (NED) at 1:11.

8. Toon Aerts (BEL) at 1:15.

9. Felipe Orts Lloret (ESP) at 1:22.

10. Kevin Khun (SUI) at 1:29.

…

12. Thibau Nys (BEL) at 1:38.