Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) out-sprinted his former teammate Laurens Sweeck (Crelan-Fristads) to win the second round of the UCI World Cup in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Sunday.
The Belgian duo repeated for the top two steps on the podium for a second week in a row, the pair going one-two at World Cup Waterloo.
Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal), who was fourth in Waterloo, moved up a spot and secured third place. Eric Brunner (Blue Competition Cycles p/b Build) of the United States finished fourth and Thibau Nys (Baloise Trek Lions) was fifth.
Some overnight rains fell in north-west Arkansas to beat down the dust from Friday’s OZ Cross C1 contest. Mild early-fall temperatures and sunshine provided a fast track for the 10 laps on the second round for elite men of the UCI World Cup, which began in Waterloo, Wisconsin the week before.
World Cup leader Iserbyt took the early lead from the hole shot and pounced to the front, with Sweeck riding on his back wheel. Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Trek Lions) appeared to break his chain and was dropped immediately.
Toon Vandebosch (Alpecin-Deceuninck) hammered across the start/finish as the leader to begin the second lap on the dirt, softened slightly from overnight rain but not muddy along the route on Millsap Mountain. He carried a few seconds over Iserbyt and 14 other riders.
On the third lap, an acceleration by Sweeck closed down Vandebosch, but Iserbyt then accelerated to the front of his fellow Belgians. The pace remained high with Vandebosch doing most of the work at the front for the group of 12. Two chasers trying to make contact, 20 seconds back, were Curtis White (Steve Tilford Foundation Racing) and Thijs Aerts (Baloise Trek Lions).
Halfway through the contest the lead group included Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal), Daan Soete (Deschacht-Hens-Maes), Sweeck, Iserbyt, Vandebosch, Nys, Brunner, Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Michael Boros (Elkov-Kasper), Joran Wyseure (Crelan-Fristads), Timon Rüegg (Cross Team Legendre) and Vincent Baestaens (Spits CX Team).
Two laps later, 10 riders remained in a front pack, Baestaens and Aerts falling off the pace. Vandebosch and Iserbyt battled at the front, but Iserbyt attacked in the woods on a downhill section. With Vanthourenhout in tow, Iserbyt opened a small gap headed into the technical turns at the bottom of Walmart staircase feature. Sweeck trailed alone in third, but just three seconds back with three laps to go.
Sweeck stayed…
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