At the end of his first road season, the cyclo-cross world champion Zdenek Stybar will soon resume some off-road racing at an event close to his family’s home in Stribro.
The race will be held Saturday and the Czech rider is relishing the chance to compete in front of many of his supporters.
“The Toi Toi Cup Stríbro is a race which I particularly love and which means a lot to me since it takes place in my city and my father is the organiser,” he stated. “It seemed right for me to make my debut in the World Champion jersey in front of my fans.”
Inking a three year deal with Quick Step last January, Stybar switched over to road racing and has been competing as part of the team since May. He started in the Four Days of Dunkirk, where he showed his strength right away in taking third overall. He was also third in the national road race championships in June, and sixth on a stage of the Eneco Tour of Benelux in August.
The season has been solid rather than spectacular, but there was always going to be necessary time to cross over from relatively short cross races to far longer road events and to the demands of multi-day stage races. Providing he does things right over the winter, he can expect to be considerably stronger in 2012.
He won’t follow the same programme as most road pros, however, When he signed the deal last January, he made it clear that he wasn’t prepared to completely give one discipline up for another. “I've won a lot in cyclocross but I really wanted to try this experience,” he said. “I'm 25 years old, and right now it's time for me to try to understand what I can do on the road. This doesn't mean I'll be quitting cross. I love this sport and intend to keep at it.”
Saturday’s race will be his first chance to once again experience the slip and slide of cross racing. He knows the course and this adds to his anticipation about the race.
“It will really be exciting, like it has been for the last years,” he said. “The circuit is really close to the city; it will be a big party in addition to being a technically-worthy race, thanks to the presence of important riders.
“For me it will also be a good test to get some feedback on the level of my preparation before returning to Belgium.”
Stybar’s contract with the Quick Step team extends for two more years. The 25 year old should have a strong idea by then as to what he can achieve in the sport. Given his background, races such as Paris-Roubaix may end up being a natural target for him.