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Cyclocross weekend roundup: van Empel and Iserbyt win

Action-packed racing in France

January 17, 2022
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With the 2022 UCI cyclocross looming, just two weeks away, the acing was a little different this weekend. Most of the Canadian contingent opted to head back for a bit of rest and adapt to the time change. The same was true for reigning world champ Lucinda Brand. Wout van Aert ended his ‘cross season at the Belgian championships, which opened up plenty of opportunities for other riders.

The riders would be riding around the grounds of a chateau in Flamanville and after several quiet races in Belgium and the Netherlands, the crowds were back in France.

Men’s race

Eli Iserbyt underscored his first World Cup title by winning Sunday’s penultimate round in Flamanville, France, in dominant fashion. It was his sixth victory of the 2021-2022 series and the 13th overall win this season.

Iserbyt, despite not having won a round since November, had a 95-point lead over Michael Vanthourenhout going into the Flamanville race, guaranteeing his first World Cup title. There was no Mathieu van der Poel, Wout Van Aert or Tom Pidcock in Flamanville. With Worlds two weeks away, the field was small at 31 athletes.

Toon Aerts, winner in Zonhoven and the X2O Badkamers Trofee series leader, took the hole shot. Another Toon, Vandebosch, then took the lead with teammate Laurens Sweeck right behind him. Iserbyt and Vanthourenhout made it four Pauwels Sauzen riders at the front. Sweeck led Iserbyt over the line.

On the fourth of eight laps, Iserbyt kept yanking out more time. Aerts and Vanthourenhout carried on their scrap for the runner-up spot, with Vanthourenhout dropping Aerts. Sweeck and Van Kessel were still part of the podium scrap.

Aerts found Vanthourenhout’s wheel again on the fifth lap..
Vanthourenhout kept a visual on Aerts in the bell lap, but he couldn’t catch the Baloise Trek Lion. Aerts is eight points from Vanthourenhout’s runner-up position in the overall standings after Sunday.

1) Eli Iserbyt (Belgium/Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) 1:01:51
2) Toon Aerts (Belgium/Baloise Trek Lions) +0:59
3) Michael Vanthourenhout (Belgium/Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) +1:12

Women

Fem van Empel outsprinted Puck Pieterse to take her second round of the 2021-2022 World Cup Sunday in Flamanville, France. After a great tussle with van Empel, Pieterse would have to be content with her fifth podium in this season’s series. Sunday’s race was all about the youth corps, as the podium was made up of all under-21 riders.

Lucinda Brand, winner of the last three rounds and six rounds overall, enjoyed a 59-point gap over Denise Betsema going into Sunday’s race and had effectively won her second consecutive title. Both Brand and Betsema skipped Flamanville.

Inge van der Heijden seized the hole shot on Lap 1, with Eva Lechner on her six. Soon van Empel pulled through into Position 1. Pieterse joined van Empel at the front. Kata Blanka Vas and Silvia Persico found them in the final 250 metres of the opening circuit. Sidney McGill was 22nd.

On the third of six laps, van Empel kept glued to Pieterse’s rear wheel. Vas had a large buffer for the final podium spot. McGill was still 21st.

Pieterse and van Empel carried on their battle on Lap 4. Van Empel grabbed the reins for the first half of the circuit. Vas closed the gap to 13 seconds.

It would come down to the bell lap. Suddenly Vas was back in the picture, albeit in the background. Van Empel took a few metres, but Pieterse came back and attacked. Again van Empel went to the front. Would it come down to the uphill drag to the finish? Pieterse was first through the chateau gate and the two threw down on the climb, with van Empel passing Pieterse just before the line.

1) Fem van Empel (The Netherlands/Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal)53:39
2) Puck Pieterse (The Netherlands/Alpecin-Fenix) s.t.
3) Kata Blanka Vas (Hungary/SD Worx) +0:23
22) Sidney McGill (Canada) +6:00