Zdenek Stybar surprised himself in his first road race for the Belgian Quick Step team by finishing 3rd in stage 4 of 4 Jours de Dunkerque, 1 minute 43 seconds behind stage winner Thomas Voeckler (Europcar). His efforts also moved him up to 3rd in the general classification.
The cyclocross World Champion, who made the switch to road racing for the rest of the season, was nervous before the start and didn’t know what to expect. This morning before the stage he posted to his twitter page, “I'm curious for the stage today. The hardest one. 190km and on the end 9 laps of 14km with 2 hills.”
In the final part of the day’s stage, experienced Frenchmen Voeckler and his former teammate Pierrick Fédrigo (FDJ) proved to be protagonists, amongst others, however the Czech rider made sure his presence was felt in the decisive move.
"It was a difficult stage; I didn't think I'd do so well as to take third place," said Stybar. "I think we raced really well as a team. Now I'm a little bit tired but I'm going to try and rest and stay focused to make the best of my first experience on the road."
The 25 year old was more than happy with his preparation for his first appearance in a Quick Step jersey, “These last few weeks I’ve been working out a lot to try to be ready for this first big day on the road,” he said after the team for the race was announced. "My aim is to learn how to move well in the group and to try and help out my teammates."
Having exceeded expectations, surely the team's aim now will be to help Stybar hold onto his podium position.
Tomorrow’s final stage in the 5-day event is 175 kms from Grande-Synthe to Dunkerque.