Zdeněk Štybar (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) won the Czech cyclocross championship in his home town of Stribro, to take the seventh national title of his career. The 27-year-old former two-time World champion finished alone to take what turned out to be a simple victory ahead of Martin Bina (CEZ Cyklo Team Tabor) and under-23 rider Vojtech Nipl to equal the record set by Radomír Šimunek senior, the late father of the current BKCP-Powerplus rider.
“I hope next year to be able to beat him, but it is already nice to join a Czech legend like Radomír,” Stybar said of his record tying victory. “My father was organising the race. A lot of people of my hometown helped to organise this event. I'm happy to be a part of it.
“I was not really stressed, maybe a little bit,” he added. “The track was looking quite easy but I knew it would be hard. I was planning to stay with the guys in the first part of the race and in the third lap I attacked. I was alone with a seven second gap. The lap after I increased the gap and stayed alone. It was nice!”
Štybar’s seventh national title was his seventh and final race of the 2012/13 cyclocross season, as he prepares for an assault on the Spring Classics of the road. Having won the Tom Boonen and Friend’s charity event for road riders, Štybar’s presence in the races of the Christmas period lit up the competition between the Belgian favourites but, until now, he was unable to take a victory in a properly competitive race.
The Omega Pharma-Quick Step rider will now return to his preparation for the spring.
“I'm happy that my shape is good,” he said. “Now I can be full gas for the road races."
Result
1. Zdeněk Štybar (Cze) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
2. Martin Bina (Cze) CEZ Cyklo Team Tabor
3. Vojtech Nipl (Cze)
4. Lubomir Petrus (Cze) BKCP-Powerplus
5. Tomas Paprstka (Cze) Remerx-Merida Team Kolin
6. Michael Boros (Cze) CEZ Cyklo Team Tabor
7. Jan Nesvadba (Cze) Mateda-Fitness/Specialized
8. Ondrej Bambula (Cze) CEZ Cyklo Team Tabor
9. Petr Dlask (Cze) Mateda-Fitness/Specialized
10. Martin Zlamalik (Cze) Landbouwkrediet-KDL