Eli Iserbyt claimed his second UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup victory Sunday during round 2 in Waterloo, Wisconsin, once again beating Belgian champion Toon Aerts after the pair separated themselves from the field early in the race.
Aerts and Iserbyt rode together briefly before the Belgian champion dropped his younger compatriot on lap 3 after Iserbyt bobbled and allowed Aerts to gain the advantage.
Aerts had 13 seconds on Iserbyt at the start of lap 4, while Michael Vanthourenhout and Gianni Vermeersch battled for the final podium spot nearly a minute behind the leader.
Iserbyt fought his way back into the lead, however, joining Aerts at the front again during the lap and then taking the lead. The younger Belgian immediately started pushing the pace in the mud as Aerts struggled to hold his wheel.
A bobble later by the Belgian champion, and Iserbyt had opened a gap on Aerts, appearing to be the stronger of the two as the deep mud wore them down.
Iserbyt started the penultimate lap with 21 seconds over Aerts, while the rest of the chasers languished more than a minute behind.
When the bell sounded for the final lap, Iserbyt had 53 seconds on Aerts and 1:37 on Vermeersch and Vanthourenhout.
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