Unlike last week, Eli Iserbyt didn’t have to sprint it out on Sunday, winning his third straight 2022-2023 World Cup round. The reigning World Cup champion took the solo victory in Tabor, Czech Republic, the first round in Europe.
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Going into the Tabor round, Eli Iserbyt, winner of the first two rounds, led Laurens Sweeck by 20 points in the series standings.
An enormous string of riders started Lap 2 together, Thijs Aerts at the head of affairs. Sweeck took over before the hurdles. Swiss rider Kevin Kuhn drove for a while.
Ryan Kamp set the tempo at the start of Lap 3 of 8. Iserbyt charged up the stairs and then started to push hard. Sweeck was his closest pursuer, with Quinten Hermans in Position 3. The Czech crowd encouraged Michael Boros in Position 6. Iserbyt eased up after he had whittled down the big gang to a septet.
Iserbyt’s teammate Michael Vanthourenhout, fourth in Waterloo and third in Fayetteville, was the locomotive of the train at the start of Lap 4, and then he tried to flare off.
Vanthourenhout wasn’t free for long. On Lap 5 he was brought back into the fold. Iserbyt returned to the business end of a quintet containing Sweeck, Vanthourenhout, Hermans and Lars van der Haar, the only non-Belgian. The pace fell off and the group threatened to balloon with Baros and others.
Sure enough, as Lap 5 turned into Lap 6, Iserbyt found himself with more companions. Once more the reigning World Cup champion put the pedal to the metal, took a gap and streamlined the numbers. Iserbyt was three seconds ahead of Sweeck at the line.
On the penultimate lap, Iserbyt resisted Sweeck’s attempts to link up. Van der Haar whipped around Sweeck and became Iserbyt’s closest chaser, eight seconds in arrears when they heard the bell.
Iserbyt wouldn’t be denied his natural hat trick of World Cup triumphs. Van der Haar kept second place and Vanthourenhout–also third in Fayetteville last week–rounded out the podium.
The next round is next Sunday in Maasmechlen, Belgium.
2022-2023 UCI Cyclocross World Cup #3 Tabor
1) Eli Iserbyt (Belgium/Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) 1:02:43
2) Lars van der Haar (The Netherlands/Baloise Trek Lions) +0:05
3) Michael Vanthourenhout (Belgium/Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) +0:26
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