If Mathieu van der Poel appeared to be riding scared in Val di Sole World Cup, as his father suggests, it was for good reason. After taking heavy slams in the snow, both Eli Iserbyt and Fem van Empel are now forced to sit out the Gavere World Cup.
Their Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal team announced the two riders would sit out the Boxing Day World Cup on Twitter, citing the crashes in Italy as the cause.
“Both Fem and Eli had a tough week because of the bruises on hips and knees after their crashes in Val di Sole. Too bad Gavere comes too soon, so they won’t be able to defend their great positions in the Cyclocross World Cup next Monday.”
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Both Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal riders crashed on the same corner. Iserbyt abandoned the race shortly after. Van Empel hit the deck harder, eventually being stretchered off the snowy course.
The news is bad for both riders and for their team. Both riders were ranked well in the World Cup standings. Van Empel was leading before the Italian round. Iserbyt had won three rounds this year already.
With the busy cyclocross Christmas period just starting, it will effect their results in other series, as well.
Iserbyt is still potentially taking to the start the Superprestige in Zolder on Tuesday, the team says, in an effort to defend his third place position in that series.
Van Empel will miss Zolder for sure, meaning she’ll move down the leaderboard in that series as well as the World Cup. It’s an unfortunate pause in what was a dominant season for the Dutch rider. It also means van Emple will not race again for Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal, as she moves to Jumbo Visma on January 1, 2023.
Maybe this is more evidence that cyclocross shouldn’t be a winter Olympic sport?
Fem is also unable to start in Zolder next Tuesday, which sadly means she won’t be racing for us anymore before moving to @JumboVismaRoad in 2023. Eli is still uncertain for Zolder.
Join us in wishing Fem and Eli the best recovery! 🍀🤞
— Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal (@PS_BG_CT) December 24, 2022
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