Bart Wellens: ‘This is not the goodbye Eli Iserbyt deserved’

For Bart Wellens, the announcement that Eli Iserbyt will never race cyclocross again did not feel like a normal retirement story. It felt unfinished. Writing in his Crossprofessor column for Het Nieuwsblad, as reported by CyclingUpToDate, Wellens made clear that the pain lies not only in Iserbyt’s absence, but in how suddenly and quietly his career has ended.

“This is not the goodbye that Eli deserves,” Wellens wrote, calling it “awful” that Iserbyt is being forced to say goodbye to the sport he lives for in this way. There was no final lap, no chance for fans to salute a rider who shaped an era. Instead, there was a medical conclusion and an abrupt full stop.

Wellens stressed what ‘cross is losing. Iserbyt was never just another name on the results sheet. He was a rider who defined races and rivalries. He was someone who brought edge and intensity to every start line. “We will miss him,” Wellens noted, adding that longtime teammate Michael Vanthourenhout will feel that loss just as deeply. Week after week, in mud, sand, cold or heat, Iserbyt was there, setting the tempo of the winter. Although sometimes the multiple World Cup champ was a little too animated…he definitely was a fun rider to watch.

“Over the past few weeks I’ve received the news from multiple doctors that it’s no longer medically advisable for me to ride my bike,” Iserbyt said. “I’ve always shared the beautiful moments with you. But now I also want to share the difficult ones. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible for me to continue my career.

The end of his career did not come through a bad crashcrash, like other riders in the pas. Instead, it was through a persistent problem with his femoral artery, limiting blood flow and power. Surgery followed, but relief never truly arrived. Wellens linked Iserbyt’s case to a wider concern, pointing out that he is already the second rider this season, after Laura Verdonschot, to be lost following a similar operation. Whether the procedure is fully perfected, Wellens admits, is an open question.

Neils Albert, a former world champion who also had to retire earlier than he had hoped due to medical problems, said it will be a difficult adjustment. “I know what kind of period he is going through now,” he said. “Once racing goes on without you and media attention moves elsewhere, you are left having to rebuild your life and find a new purpose.”

What makes the ending harder to accept is that Iserbyt was still…