Eli Iserbyt announced his immediate retirement from professional cycling in an emotional Instagram video message to his fans on Thursday. The Belgian cyclist revealed that his doctors have confirmed that cycling is no longer advisable due to a medical problem that originated from reduced blood flow in the femoral artery.
“The past few weeks, I have received the news from multiple doctors that it’s no longer medically advisable for me to ride my bike recreationally and competitively,” Iserbyt said video message posted to his personal Instagram account.
“I’ve always shared the beautiful moments with you, but now I also wanted to share this news with you: that, unfortunately, it is no longer possible for me to continue my career.”
Iserbyt, 28, has had a successful career in cyclo-cross that included a win at the European Championships in 2020 and two bronze medals at the World Championships in 2023 and 2024. He also won the Belgian national title in 2024, as well as the overall World Cup series title twice, in 2022 and 2024.
He has been plagued with sciatica, caused by a compressed intervertebral disc in his lower back, which caused nagging back pain and severe discomfort shooting through his left leg after abrupt movements.
Iserbyt was forced to pull out of several races in 2024, citing that he was suffering from Piriformis syndrome, a condition that causes pain when a muscle presses on the sciatic nerve. At that time, his Pauwels Sauzen team doctor, Frank De Winter, stated that several cycling tests showed reduced blood circulation in his left leg.
“That examination confirmed the reduced blood flow in the femoral artery. This appeared to be a clear explanation for the reduced performance, which was completely out of line with Eli’s normal level,” De Winter said in 2024.
Although Iserbyt went on to win X2O Trofee Baal-GP Sven Nys on January 1, 2025, it would be his last victory. He hasn’t competed in cyclo-cross since the X2O Trofee Brussels-Brussels Universities Cyclocross on February 16, 2025.
He had aimed to return to cyclo-cross racing but revealed in November of 2025 that he had a relapse after four surgeries to try to correct low blood flow through the femoral artery in his left leg, ultimately ending his hopes to return to racing.