Niels Bastiaens • Thursday, December 14, 2023 at 8:10 AM
Interview A month ago Zdenek Stybar announced his retirement at a press conference. After years of injuries, the 38-year-old Czech from Jayco-AlUla was no longer able to secure a contract for 2024, so he saw no other way out than to hang up his bike soon. That is still the plan, but Stybar is keeping the door ajar. He tells this in an extensive conversation with CyclingFlits.
The ex-winner of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Strade Bianche and E3 Harelbeke then mentioned that he still had one big goal on the bike: completing the Cyclo-Cross World Championships in his home city of Tábor. That’s what Stybar is sticking to anyway: the crowd favorite wants to fully enjoy himself one last time in front of his home fans. And his preparation? Stybar started this last week in Essen, Kempen, which has now been the Flemish home of the Czech for more than a decade.
Zdenek, racing for the very last time in ‘your’ Essen, did that feel strange?
“It’s actually not too bad. Especially because it came quite unexpectedly and I couldn’t have prepared for it. I guess that’s why I don’t fully realize it yet. The organization called me on Wednesday evening. I was still in Mallorca at the time, and I only arrived in Belgium the night before the cross. Not the best preparation of course.”
Did you enjoy it?
“It was so much fun (laughs). Honestly? It was a shock to the system, because I hadn’t done any proper cross training yet. I still have to build up my general fitness, because after all those annoying injuries I still have too much of a backlog. The biggest problem I had was walking and then jumping back on the bike. I also miss that pure power. If we get some faster courses, I hope things will go a bit better. This was not the easiest cross to start.”
Stybar’s first major triumph was in Tabor, 2010 – photo: Cor Vos
I assume that everything is currently all about your farewell race: the World Cup in Tábor?
“True, but time is ticking away mercilessly. My big problem: I fear that I don’t have enough time left to become the best version of myself. I’m doing my best and of course I want to shine at the World Cup. But I still have fifty days to do that. I work primarily on volume. It has been true throughout my career that this type of training is good for my fitness. But we also focus on intensity.”
You will also need cross rhythm. When will we see you in the field again on a regular basis?
“That won’t happen until after Christmas. Maybe already in Gavere, otherwise in Zolder. Every year we go back and forth to the family in the Czech Republic on Christmas Day, so it should all remain practically feasible.”
In addition, there must be a physical transformation. You now have the body of a road racer, not that of a motocross rider.
“That’s true. Of course, for a long time I did not expect that I would have to stop my career in February. So I was not prepared for the fact that I would have to convert into a cross rider. Everything suddenly happens very quickly. No matter how much you want it, it is impossible to completely transform your body in two months. Cross-country and road cycling are two completely different endeavors.”
Have you mentally digested that quit yet?
“I have accepted it somewhere, yes. The World Cup in Tábor is the farewell race I dreamed of. That’s mainly what I’m thinking about right now. There will be many Belgian and many Czech supporters there, everyone who supported me during my career. My career actually started at that World Cup in 2010. You couldn’t wish for a much nicer farewell. At least, normally anyway.”
Do I still hear a glimmer of hope there?
“Maybe I’ll still be able to continue, yes. At the moment I have it in mind that I will stop in Tábor, but – even if the chance is very small – you never know, you know.”
Where does that opportunity lie for you?
“That depends on circumstances over which I have no control. Many pieces of the puzzle would have to fall into place for me to continue. For example, I would love to give it my all one more time up to and including Paris-Roubaix, but actually I can’t hope for that anymore. There were opportunities with certain teams, but I did not want to spend my farewell year with those teams. Maybe it will happen, maybe it won’t.”
Stybar and Van Aert, toiling in Essen – photo: Cor Vos
Does it bother you that you have not been able to reach the top level in recent years due to injuries, while deep down you know that it may still be possible?
“Of course that is frustrating. But it’s not like I can change anything about it either. You can say: if, if, if. But as an athlete you are very dependent on other people. Sometimes that’s just part of it. I’m not going to quit with a bad feeling, it’s just the way it is and I have to accept that.”
Can you remember the last time you were at your very best?
“Then I think of the World Cup in Leuven. A seventh place was not a bad result either. Then the injury to my arteries started to worsen. That’s a progressive injury: you don’t get it overnight, so I didn’t immediately realize what was going on. I have always trained super hard and lived completely for my sport to achieve the fitness I wanted. Only, if your arteries are pinched on both the left and right, then you think afterwards: I was racing on one leg for two years.”
How realistic is it to say goodbye in Tábor at your best?
“I’m fully focused on it. But the technique, the rhythm, all needs to be improved. The Christmas period will be tough, but those races will make me better. On the other hand, you shouldn’t expect miracles either. Last year I was somewhere between fifteenth and twentieth position in the field. Even if I’m a little better now, I can’t immediately hope for the top 5. Finishing around position ten would be incredible. I’m not suddenly going to drive three minutes faster than in Essen.”
Your contract with Jayco-AlUla will expire on January 1. In which jersey will you prepare yourself for Tábor?
“I am currently working on that. From January 1st I have to start my own team. There is still a lot of energy involved. Actually, I am a professional cyclist and also a manager. That now requires just as much effort as my training.”
2023-12-14 09:41:23
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