27-year-old Iserbyt had been struggling with Piriformis syndrome for some time. This causes the West Flemish to have a nagging pain in the left leg. After the Zilvermeercross of Mol, the Belgian champion tested again on Christmas Day and decided, in consultation with the medical staff of Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal, to take some rest and to ignore the tough World Cup cross of Gavere.
After a new test, Iserbyt will be back in action on Sunday during the eighth World Cup Cross in Besançon, France. In the World Cup standings, Eli Iserbyt, due to his forfeit in Gavere, has dropped to sixth place with 102 points to his name. Leader and teammate Michael Vanthourenhout meanwhile totaled 170 points.