Jacobs Dashes Iserbyt’s Perfect 2014-15 Superprestige Series with a Win at Middelkerke: Race Report and Full Results

Swiss rider Johan Jacobs, shown here at a World Cup over Iserbyt and Andreassen, took the final leg today at Middelkerke. © Bart Hazen/Cyclocross Magazine

Swiss Rider Johan Jacobs won the eighth and final round of the Superprestige at Middelkerke. Eli Iserbyt, the current Belgian Junior national champion and runner up at the 2015 Cyclocross World Championship in Tabor, was already guaranteed the overall victory of the Superprestige series with an incredible performance of seven wins in a row this season. An eighth win would have sealed a perfect showing in the series, but Jacobs once again proved himself as a capable underdog.

As with in Tabor, the bulk of Iserbyt’s problems came from his bike, only this time he struggled with his chain instead of his tire selection. After the race, he explained the problems to Vier: “I think I wasted at least 20 to 25 seconds near the start. I then had to play catch, and that took a lot of strength. ”

Jacobs pounced on the opportunity with Thijs Wolsink in tow. Not wanting the race to come down to a sprint, the Swiss rider put in a few attacks in the last lap, and was able to create a sizable gap over Wolsink. Iserbyt, meanwhile, worked his way through the field, gaining time on the leaders. Jacobs was able to keep him in check, in particular with the Swiss rider’s ability to hop the barriers, a rarity for juniors. Iserbyt was never able to get in enough time back on Jacobs, although he managed to overtake Wolsink on the last lap, propelling the Belgian to second place.

2015 Middelkerke Superprestige, Junior Race