Eli Iserbyt didn't have to think long to answer questions about what made the difference in his strong solo victory in the opening round of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Waterloo, Iowa, on Sunday. The Belgian rider was quick to mention that he rode the hills well, changed his tire pressure, and had some help from his teammate Michael Vanthourenhout of Pauwels Sausen-Bingaert.

During the elite men's race, Yzerbito called it a true cyclocross race, as rain changed the course conditions.

It was also the condition he needed to win his first World Cup race in over 20 months. It was only two seasons ago that Yzerbito began competing full-time in the elite class of the World Cup, finishing behind the stablemate Toon Arts (Baloise Trek Lions). To reach that second place overall, Yzerbito won two World Cup events in the United States in 2019, in Waterloo and Iowa City, as well as in Bern, Switzerland, and Nomey, France. However, the shortened 2020-2021 season was marred by an unexpected drought.

"Last year we didn't win the World Cup. Little things like last week [in Belgium] were not good for me. So I wanted to get revenge for last week," he said in the media mix zone after Sunday's victory.

"Winning is very important because the World Cup is all 16 rounds. We still have a long way to go. The World Cup is our main goal for this season."

After winning the first three Etihad Cross C2 races in Belgium this season, Iserbitt finished fifth in the Berencross Muehlebeke on October 2, well behind the winner, Vanthourenhout. He then finished third in the C1 at Gieten, the opening round of the Super Prestige Series, and the race was won by Toon Arts.

On Sunday, the start of a three-race World Cup series in the U.S., Iserbyt pulled away from Vanthourenhout in the closing laps to take a solo victory. Quinten Hermans (Tormans-Circus Cyclo-Cross team) finished third, making it a Belgian podium sweep.

"It was a great atmosphere and I was a bit nervous before the race. It rained on the first lap and everyone had to deal with it. Toon Arts crashed hard on the pavement. When you have a crash like that, it's not normal to come back again. I think Quinten [Hermans] had a big crash too.

"Team director Richard [Groenendaal] said beforehand that it was better to just not make mistakes, not to make fast mistakes and to go a little bit slower. I kept that in mind on the sections where I could push hard, like the uphills. The brown roads I had ridden in other races were very slippery, like ice, so it worked out well for me. I am not very big, so I was able to control the bike well. I think I changed the tire pressure five or six times during the race. I changed the tire pressure five or six times during the race, down, up, down. I also changed the bike three or four times. It was a real cyclo-cross kind of race, and I'm very happy to be able to race like this in the World Cup."

Iserbitt said he rode on the grass as much as possible for grip, rather than on the dirt trails, which were saturated by the afternoon's rain.

"So I think I ran as much line as I could downhill, uphill, and in the corners. So I think I ran every line I could run, downhill, uphill, corners, I wasn't running 100% until 35 or 40 minutes, so I could see the line and adjust to it. I think I had an hour and ten minutes, but that was one lap too long, but I'm very happy to have won," he said after the race, laughing about how long the lap had been.

During the nine laps of the race, Iserbitt changed machines, tires and pressure, and other equipment to enjoy the race.

"It rained, then dried up, then rained again. We increased the tire pressure six or seven times and screamed at everyone. We started out at 1.2 bar (17.4 psi), then 1.1 bar, then 1 bar, then 1.15 bar, and adjusted to the course. It was a real cyclocross race."

Vanhollenhout was at the front of the race with Hermans early on, but when a crash moved Hermans to the back, his two Pauwels-Sausen-Bingold teammates worked together at the front.

"Michal is riding really well. We know each other well; I think we've been together for five or six years. We live close to each other. We play PlayStation together. We do a lot of things together. We talked to each other and decided to confront each other in about 30 minutes, six seconds I think, until Quentin comes back.

"He said he was a little inferior on the uphill and he said I could go, so I really picked up the pace. I think Michal was better in the corners, but I was really the best on the uphills. I'm very happy that he's still in second place, and I'm very happy that he's still in second place.

Iserbyt has won cyclocross junior and U23 titles at the Belgian National and European Championships. He has also won the U23 World title and the U23 World Cup title. So it was no big surprise that he won the Elite European Championships as an U23 rider last year. Still only 23, he said he doesn't mind defending that title, but that the Elite World Cup crown is his main goal this season.

"It's not a must, but it's a must," Iserbitt said of defending his European title with a little laugh. 'The Belgian championship and the world championship are more important. The Belgian and World Championships are more important. The World Cup means more to me this year, and it's about proving that I'm a good player throughout the year."

Next on the "to do" list for the World Cup campaign is Round 2 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Wednesday. Yzerbito was eager to head south to see the venue that will be used for the 2022 World Championships.

"I've seen a few movies of the course and I think it's pretty good. They did a really good job. I think I'm going to go down there (on Monday) and see the course. It was a really exhausting race [today].