Iserbyt is victorious in Flamanville
Sunday 16 January 2022
His final victory in the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup was already a foregone conclusion, but today in Flamanville, Normandy, Eli Iserbyt showed once again why he fully deserves that jersey and final victory. After 8 fast laps he finished just under a minute ahead of Toon Aerts. Michael Vanthourenhout finished third.
In the first lap, an elite group including Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal) and teammates Laurens Sweeck and Michael Vanthourenhout immediately managed to put the other men at a distance. Sweeck and Iserbyt finally managed to get away from the group in lap 2. Aerts (Baloise Trek Lions) did not let that happen and accelerated. He was able to catch up with the two men of Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal in front.
In lap 4 the winner of the final classification was able to create a permanent gap with the chasing boys and while Sweeck dropped to fourth position, his team mate Vanthourenhout moved up to the front. Together with Aerts, he chased Iserbyt. When Toon Aerts entered the equipment post in lap 5, Vanthourenhout immediately took advantage. But after a short acceleration, Aerts quickly caught up.
He, too, took advantage of the situation when he heard a call from the Vanthourenhout camp that his Grifo tyres were ready. These tyres were better suited to the course, which had just started to get wetter due to light rainfall. He launched an attack and Vanthourenhout was unable to get to his wheel.
The man of the race was definitely Eli Iserbyt. He won the round in Flamanville with just under a minute lead on Toon Aerts. Michael Vanthourenhout finished third. In the general classification the final podium remains to be seen, Vanthourenhout is currently in 2nd place with 8 points ahead of Aerts. After the round in Hoogerheide we will know for sure in what order these men will stand on the podium next to Iserbyt.
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