Zdeněk Štybar undergoes iliac artery surgery: "For me it was so weird that I was under performing"
Cycling
Zdeněk Štybar has undergone surgery for iliac artery endofibrosis, after a recent medical examination revealed the issue; a health problem which has become increasingly prevalent amongst professional cyclists in recent years.
“For me it was so weird that I was under performing. I thought my shape should be good and I did everything well, the winter was good, and I thought that probably the low performance was because of Covid that I had at the end of February, just before opening weekend," says Štybar accoring to Team Jayco AlUla's official press release.
The 37-year old continues: "Then during the races like Flanders, I thought that this must be something else, not just a lack of condition. I even thought it could be the age, maybe I just couldn’t follow anymore, but I still couldn’t believe that was the case."
"I then faced the decision to operate and take the risk to not come back to racing, as of course the recovery period is a lot of time without the bike and the season is just starting. Or I had to decide to not operate and therefore end my career immediately," the Czech classics rider explains his possibilities.
"We will see how the recovery goes, of course I have a great support team around me and people that I have had close to me for many years, and they helped me to make the decision and for that I am still very motivated to go on,” Štybar concludes.
Zdeněk Štybar made the move to Team Jayco AlUla following 12 years spent within Patrick Lefevere's formation. After decent kick off in Saudi Arabia, where he helped Dylan Groenewegen win first stage, Štybar had a really disappointing spring campaign with 52nd place from Milano-Sanremo as his best result.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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🏥 UPDATE 🚴🏻♂️ Š𝘵𝘺𝘣𝘢𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘤 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘴 “For me it was so weird that I was under performing. I thought it could be the age, maybe I just couldn’t follow anymore." @zdenekstybar greenedgecycling.com/2023/05/08/sty…
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