For Iserbyt, this victory is also synonymous with relief after a complicated period. Since he raised his arms in Antwerp on November 24, he had no longer been able to climb on the slightest podium. Diminished for several months by piriformis syndrome (compression of the sciatic nerve by the piriformis muscle) which handicaps him even on a daily basis, Iserbyt even had to abandon in Namur on December 15. But on this first day of the year, he found his strength again. “Today I had no problems. It makes me really happy to feel good again. These weeks without winning seemed very long to me, during this period with a lot of races. So I’m very happy to to win for the second time here in Baal, a race I watched on television when I was younger.”
This fourth victory of the season, ahead of Pim Ronhaar and Emiel Verstrynge, also allows the Belgian champion to make a big gap in the X20 trophy rankings. He has almost four minutes ahead of Toon Aerts with three rounds remaining.
