Eli Iserbyt is still sidelined with injury. The Belgian cyclocross rider has undergone multiple surgeries for a narrowed iliac artery and is still not allowed to contemplate a comeback. "This year is definitely not going to work out anymore," said team manager Thomas Joseph to Sporza on Saturday in Kortrijk.
"It remains a difficult situation," Joseph continued. "It's a waiting game for him and for us. I believe there have been recent tests, and now we have to see how it evolves. But this year is definitely over for him, and then we’ll see what the future holds."
For Pauwels Sauzen - Altez Industriebouw and Iserbyt, it remains a tough situation. "He’s trying to make the best of it, and we provide support wherever we can. But it’s easy for us to talk from the sidelines. For Eli, it’s the hardest. Beyond offering support, there’s not much more we can do."
Period of rest
A month ago, Iserbyt was in the same situation. At that time, Jurgen Mettepenningen said a fourth surgery was still among the possibilities. "We will see how the body reacts during this period of complete rest. Does the blood flow improve or not? If after four weeks there is a noticeable positive development, and a new medical procedure could speed up that process, it might be a different story."
"But we must not forget that Eli has already spent more than fifteen hours on the operating table from the end of last season until now. I don’t know if he has the strength, the will, and the courage to go through this ordeal once again,” the team manager concluded then.
