Cyclo-cross star Eli Iserbyt has announced that he is retiring from the sport and has been advised not to ride the bike even at a recreational level, due to a persistent femoral artery issue.<\/p>\n
He imparted the news in an emotional Instagram post, in which he said that multiple doctors had given him the same advice \u2013 stay off the bike.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n “The past few weeks I’ve received the news from multiple doctors that it’s no longer medically advisable for me to ride the bike<\/a>, recreationally and competitively,” Iserbyt said.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n He added: “And I’ve always shared the beautiful<\/a> moments with you, but now I also wanted to share this news with you, that unfortunately it is no longer possible for me to continue my career.”<\/p>\n The Belgian, who rode for the Pauwels Sauzen-Artez Industriebouw team, is a multiple World Cup winner, a two-time under-23 world champion and a former elite national and European cyclo-cross<\/a> champion, with a total 54 career victories. He has not raced this winter, although was consistently high up in the results in the biggest races for the duration of the 24-25 season.<\/p>\n The news of his retirement was met with many well wishes, both from fans, those in the industry and the stars of cyclo-cross.<\/p>\n Tom Pidcock replied on Instagram: “Sorry to hear this Eli. Thanks for the great battles\u2026 wish you well!”<\/p>\n “Best of luck,” wrote Mathieu van der Poel,<\/a> while Wout van Aert simply replied with a breaking heart and applause emojis.<\/p>\n Iserbyt’s condition involves the narrowing of the femoral artery and is called iliac artery endofibrosis (IAE)<\/a>. It is something that numerous professional riders have suffered with, including Pauline Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot<\/a>, Amanda Spratt, Joe Dombrowski and Zden\u011bk \u0160tybar, and can affect amateurs too. In fact, it has been labelled an ‘occupational hazard’.<\/p>\n It involves the kinking, scarring or narrowing of the arteries, which pass through the pelvic area resulting in reduced blood flow to the legs, with the prolonged hip-flexion seen in bike riders contributing to the issue.<\/p>\n An increased awareness in recent decades has apparently contributed to a greater prevalence of the condition, and it has been suggested that up to 20% of professional cyclists are suffering with it.<\/p>\n