Eli Iserbyt claims 2021-2022 ‘cross World Cup Round 1 in Waterloo

European champion Eli Iserbyt won his fifth elite men’s cyclocross World Cup round on Sunday in the 2021-2022 season’s first race in Waterloo, Wisconsin. The Belgian who plies his trade with Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal also won the Waterloo round in 2019. Similar to how the podium of the elite women’s race saw the Dutch sweep the podium, the top-3 in the men’s contest were all Belgian. Although the women’s race was dry, the men’s race grew slippery in the rain. Michael van den Ham was top Canadian in 24th.

You can watch the 2021-2022 ‘cross World Cup at FloBikes.

2021-2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup
October 10: Waterloo, Wis.
October 13: Fayetteville, Ark
October 17: Iowa City, Iowa
October 24: Zonhoven, Belgium
October 31: Overijse, Belgium
November 14: Tabor, Czech Republic
November 21: Koksijde, Belgium
November 28: Besançon, France
December 5: Val di Sole, Italy
December 12: Rucphen, the Netherlands
December 18: Antwerp, Belgium
December 19: Namur, Belgium
December 26: Dendermonde, Belgium
January 2: Hulst, the Netherlands
January 19: Flamanville, France
January 23: Hoogerheide, the Netherlands

The Fayetteville round will be a preview of the Worlds on January 29-30

Last season

Last year nine rounds were cancelled out of 14 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the five races that remained, Wout Van Aert earned the title. Van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel were not in Wisconsin.

The Canadian contingent

Michael van den Ham led the way for the Canucks. Hugo Brisebois, Matt Leliveld, Lief Rodgers and Brody Sanderson joined him.

Michael Vanthourenhout and then Quinten Hermans led the pack on Lap 1 with Lars van der Haar in hot pursuit. The rain began to come down harder. Van den Ham and Brisebois were 25th and 26th.

Near the start of Lap 2, Hermans crashed. Vanthourenhout led last season’s X2O Badkamers Trofee winner Iserbyt by a good gap until he fell too. The new leading duo, Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal teammates, took a 12-second gap into the third of nine laps. Van den Ham was still in 25th.

The Belgian duo continued their assault on the course, as Ryan Kamp joined van der Laar and Hermans in the podium chase. By the end of Lap 3, Iserbyt and Vanthourenhout was a 21-second lead.

On Laps 4 and 5, the Pauwels Sauzen lads kept finding time. Kamp dropped away from the podium chase group and then Hermans left van der Haar behind. Van den Ham stayed steady at 25th.

Iserbyt departed from his teammate on Lap 6, but Vanthourenhout was game to be reunited. The latter had 12 seconds to make up on the former. Van den Ham was making gains, rising to 23rd.

Vanthourenhout had Hermans to worry about on Lap 7. He also found himself farther behind Iserbyt.

Vanthourenhout continued to resist Hermans on the penultimate lap.

It was as-you-were on the bell lap for the podium fellows.

2021-2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Round 1, Waterloo
1) Eli Iserbyt (Belgium/Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) 1:09:37
2) Michael Vanthourenhout (Belgium/Pauwels Sauzen) +0:30
3) Quinten Hermans (Belgium/Tormans-Circus) +0:43
24) Michael van den Ham (Canada/Easton-Giant-Garneau) +5:22
30) Brody Sanderson (Canada)
34) Lief Rodgers (Canada)
40) Matt Leliveld (Canada)
42) Hugo Brisebois (Canada)