World cyclocross champion Zdenel Stybar (Telenet-Fidea) has decided not to ride this Sunday’s round of the World Cup in Pontchâteau, France. The Czech is currently on the island of Mallorca, taking in some warm weather training after the successful defence of his national title, and feels that his ranking in the World Cup competition and the distance required to get to the race make the trip of little value.
“Today I definitely decide to not start next CX world-cup. I stay here @Mallorca until next Friday,” he posted to his Twitter page this evening.
Earlier today “Styby” spoke to Sporza and explained his reasoning for missing the race, which is one of the eight biggest of the season, outside the World Championships.
“First and foremost my ranking in the World Cup is destroyed,” he explained, “and moreover the journey from Mallorca to France and back would be very difficult.”
Although he won the first two rounds of the World Cup, in Aigle, Switzerland and Plzen, Czech Republic, the knee injury that he picked up in a training crash in mid-November ruined the mid-part of his season. He finished second in the race in Koksijde, Belgium, but then missed the next three races in Igorre, Spain, and Kalmthout and Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.
After leading the competition after the first two races, ee now languishes in tenth place in the standings, 190 points behind series leader Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) with two races to go.
While in Mallorca Stybar has trained with the OmegaPharma-Lotto team, who are there on their team training camp, on a number of occasions; it was the ProTeam’s riders that helped him to make the decision.
“After speaking with them I confirmed my decision to stay in Mallorca,” he explained.
The location of Pontchâteau, in southern Brittany, just northwest of Nantes on the west coast of France, makes things complicated for some riders to reach. With the vast majority of the season’s top races in Belgium, and many riders taking mid-season training breaks to warmer climes in Spain, the journey there is far more complicated than to most races.
“I am here to train and so I am firmly concentrated on my build up to the World Championships,” said Stybar. “In St-Wendel I want to end my unlucky season in a beautiful way. Before St-Wendel I will only ride the ‘crosses at Zonnebeke and Hoogerheide.”
The decision to sit out the race, staying in warm Mallorca to train, is unlikely to impress some of Stybar’s rivals. Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) commented back in early December that the World champion’s enforced layoff would leave him fresher than the rest when it cam to the defence of his jersey.
Nys and Niels Albert both cited Albert’s 2009 World Championship win, which came after the young rider had sat out much of the season with injury.