Next to Štybar, the experienced Nash will also appear at the WC in road cycling

“I think we have a very balanced team and we can think about success in almost all categories. I don’t want to promise medals in advance, but in some categories we will have the highest ambitions rightly,” said coach René Andrle, who is acting as the national team coach temporarily after Tomáš Konečný decided to quit.

Štybar, Jan Hirt and Michael Kukrle will be among the men’s elite for the seventh time last year at the WC. In the women’s race, Tereza Neumanová and somewhat surprisingly, forty-four-year-old Nash. All will only take part in the road race, none of the Czechs will start in the time trials of the elite categories this time.

“Stybar struggled with his form all year, but he is incredibly motivated. He still doesn’t have a contract for next year and he wants to show himself in the best light. He was preparing for the championship honestly, riding seven-hour training sessions. In addition, the difficult classic circuit will definitely suit him,” Andrle said. “Hirt and Kukrle are also experienced fighters. We are a bit limited by the fact that we can only field three people, but the elite road race is always a lottery and anything can happen,” he added.

Neumanová rode the women’s Vuelta as a general before the WC and in the last stage she flashed seventh place. In the past, Nash has achieved success mainly as a biker and cyclo-cross rider and has several medals from top off-road events, but recently in the USA, where she lives, she is also dedicated to gravel racing and training on the road.

Andrle sees great potential in juniors and twenty-three. “Among the juniors, we have an incredibly strong team for the road race, Telecký and Novák are also excellent time trialists. In the 23-year-old, Vacek is one of the big favorites in the time trial and we can play it in the road race in just a few cards. If there was a sprint, Bittner has the best chance , but we’ll see according to the development of the race,” reflected Andrle.

He does not consider medal positions to be unrealistic. “It’s the World Championships, which are very specific races at the end of the season. And it’s also in Australia. It depends on how someone manages to acclimatize. It might suit some, but not others. We can’t estimate this now. But I believe that everyone they will manage and I personally will consider every result up to tenth place as a success,” added Andrle.