Zdenek Stybar re-ups with Deceuninck-Quick Step

Czech cyclist Zdeněk Štybar signed a new one-year contract in the leading Deceuninck-Quick Step team. The thirty-five-year-old road professional has been waiting for the twelfth season in a row in the elite Belgian stable, where he has been working all his career in WorldTour since 2011. Štybar also expressed a wish on the team website to end one career in his current workplace.

Both parties agreed to continue cooperation, despite the fact that the seasoned Czech national team has had a difficult season. “I’m happy to be able to stay with the team. It will be my twelfth year here, which in itself is quite a success. I believe I will close my career here every few years. I am very grateful to be able to continue in the stable, also with regard to the situation I was in, “reminded Štybar, who underwent surgery during the season due to heart problems and was afraid of the possible end of his career.

In addition, health problems disrupted his program last year, when the coronavirus crisis also significantly affected the form of the racing calendar. “Last year I lost the Tour de France due to knee problems and for the same reason I was not in my best shape or classics. This year I came back and felt great at the E3 Harelbeke race, but then I had problems at Gent-Wevelgem “It was a difficult year and I had to start again from scratch,” Stybar mused.

When he returned after surgery and a two-month break on his bike, he was injured at the one-off Dwars door het Hageland race in Belgium at the first start, which he did not finish after the accident.

“And that made my return to the peloton even more difficult. But Vuelta helped me, it was a step I needed to get in shape before the World Cup. I believed that everything would turn out well. And I was happy that those months of hard work turned out somewhere. At first it looked like a disaster at first, but it had a good end. It was mentally exhausting, but I got amazing support from the team, “added Štybar, who finished seventh in the road race at the World Championships in Belgium. .

“We are happy to continue together on this journey, which we started more than a decade ago. Zdeněk is one of the most experienced peloton riders and an important member of our team; a real wolf who will always do his best for his team. He has a lot in him. And we are confident that he can achieve excellent results for the team next year as well, “said Patrick Lefevere, head of the team nicknamed the” Wolf Pack “.

The three-time world champion in cyclocross from 2010, 2011 and 2014, Štybar admitted that he still dreams of two triumphs – I would like to win the monument Around Flanders or Paris-Roubaix, where he finished second twice. “My goal is the whole period when the classics will take place. And I would also like to return to the Tour de France,” outlined Štybar, who did not release the famous one-off Paris-Roubaix this year, although it finally experienced inclement weather in early October. which was to record for him.

“I couldn’t wait, but I didn’t feel well during the race itself. At some point I had a cold and stomach problems, I couldn’t speed up or do anything about it. And on that day you need luck and great legs to succeed “Nothing can go wrong,” added Stybar.

In the post-season, he was mainly looking forward to spending time with his family, but he also planned to take part in some cyclocross races again. “Simply because I like cyclocross. It’s also great preparation and I always enjoy the beautiful atmosphere with fans there. It’s similar to the championship in Leuven, but you will experience that great feeling every race on smaller circuits,” Štybar was looking forward to .

Although he will be thirty-six in December, he is not thinking about the end of his career yet. Recently, other Czech road aces Petr Vakoč and Roman Kreuziger have finished. “I have no idea when I will finish. Sometimes there will be good times, other times the worse ones. But I will probably ride my bike forever. When I’m not on it, I miss it. I crossed the road in full force in 2013, maybe that’s why I want to ride “I feel that it would be enough, but I haven’t had that feeling yet,” Stybar assured.

In his career so far, he has scored big victories at the Strade Bianche (2015), Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and E3 Harelbeke (both 2019), but he has also achieved stage laurels at the Vuelta (2013) and the Tour de France (2015).