Belgian cyclocross champion Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) faces his season being impacted once again by nerve pain in his back.
The 27-year-old arrived in Namur targeting overall victory in the UCI World Cup, having won the series for the second time last year.
However, the cruel nature of steep and slippery banks, resulting in hard running sections, came back to haunt Iserbyt once again.
From the opening lap the Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal rider was struggling on the steep run-ups and fell down the pack. By the second lap Iserbyt dropped down to 24th and was seen clutching his leg in discomfort.
After changing his bike the Belgian then climbed off and quit the race, resulting in him missing out on precious series points.
Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal team boss Jürgen Mettepenningen told Het Nieuwsblad: “It’s a nasty injury.”
“It has been good for a while, but now he has problems again. It’s the same injury as last year. A muscle puts pressure on a nerve and that causes a lot of pain. As long as he can cycle, it’s not too bad, but once he starts walking, it becomes too much.”
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“It has to be treated now at the physiotherapist and then we hope for improvement,” Mettepenningen added.
Iserbyt also had problems with nerve pain the previous day after crashing on his way to fifth place at the X20 Trofee round in Herentals.
“It’s something that comes and goes (the nerve pain),” he told IDLProCycling.com
“That started three years ago and I have it under control, but sometimes it flares up again. That was the case now. It concerns the nerve from the back to the left leg, which makes it difficult to apply full force.”
The injury first flared up in the 2022 campaign, also in Namur, when, after dominating the first part of that season, he had to quit the European Championships.
An MRI scan confirmed that he was suffering from sciatica in his back.
“I love to race ‘cross, and preferably a lot,” Iserbyt said in a statement at the time.
“So I’m glad I can continue to do that. I can’t make the injury worse, although a fall or an unexpected movement can cause a temporary relapse.”
“I was already working hard on it: I visit my physiotherapist two or three times a week, I spend a lot of time on back exercises, and I have a masseur on every ‘cross race who loosens the muscles in my left leg just before the start.”
“Now on I will spend even more time on the necessary back exercises and I will visit the physiotherapist even more often.”
Namur has been an unhappy hunting ground throughout Iserbyt’s career and just one of his 106 career wins has come on the treacherous Belgium course – as an under-23 rider nine years ago.
As a senior rider Iserbyt has never been on the podium and has now lost major points to his rivals in the overall series.
Crashes plagued both the men’s and women’s events in Namur with Gerben Kuypers and Pim Ronhaar two of those who crashed heavily.
European champion Thibau Nys also suffered misfortune with two punctures resulting in him losing vital time and finishing 11th.
Meanwhile, Toon Aerts looked to be on his way to a landmark victory on his return from a doping suspension. However, a last lap crash on a notoriously difficult off-camber section saw him beaten into second.
World Cup leader Michael Vanthourenhout had no such problems on the steep banks of Namur and took advantage of Aert’s mistake to take victory and extend his series advantage.
Vanthourenhout has previously won a World Cup round and European Championships on the Belgian course and again kept his calm amongst the mayhem to triumph.
The 31-year-old also won the X20 Trofee round in Herentals the previous day.
“I had luck on my side, maybe if you are in good condition then the luck is by your side,” said Vanthourenhout.
“For me I had an incredible feeling this weekend, we will see the next weeks.”
Vanthourenhout now leads the World Cup series by 27 points ahead of Aerts, with Iserbyt in fourth overall 43 points behind.