These are very difficult times for Eli Iserbyt. The Belgian cyclocross rider seemed to be working towards a comeback on November 11th, during the Jaarmarktcross in Niel, but recently suffered a relapse. His old injury started acting up again. After a second opinion at the UZ Ghent hospital, he will not touch the bike for at least four weeks.
Although Michael Vanthourenhout gave his all and claimed second place, there was a funeral-like atmosphere around the Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw team campers in Lokeren last Sunday. There, team manager Jurgen Mettepenningen had to announce the bad news that his other team leader, Eli Iserbyt, will not be returning to competition for the time being.
His comeback was planned for November 11th, during the Jaarmarktcross in Niel. A date that Mettepenningen's cyclocross team announced not long ago. “About two weeks ago, we were still hoping it would work out. All signals were positive, even very good. But then Eli had a relapse during training,” Mettepenningen told our camera.
“The old injury, with the pain in the left leg, unfortunately started acting up again. The blood flow in the iliac artery is not optimal, resulting in him not being able to reach his maximum capabilities. So there's no point in forcing it. November 11th is way too soon for Eli to dive back into racing."
Mettepenningen sounded quite pessimistic about the rest of the cyclocross season, but a second opinion from a specialist at UZ Ghent was expected to provide more clarity. "I had an examination today at UZ Ghent. At this moment, we have decided to keep the bike aside for the next four weeks, and then conduct another examination," Iserbyt announced on Thursday via Instagram.
The 28-year-old West Flanders rider has received a lot of support in recent days, which means a lot to him. "Through this message, we also want to thank everyone for their support."
