16/12/2023

"I fear that I don't have enough time left to become the best version of myself" - Zdenek Stybar on the path to try and reach cyclocross World Championships in best possible form

Zdenek Stybar is in a race against time. He's started his 2023-2024 season in cyclocross last weekend in Essen with a modest performance, and now he looks to improve as much as possible until the World Championships where he hopes to have a beautiful goodbye from pro cycling.

“It was so much fun. 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," Stybar told Wielerflits. “That won't happen until after Christmas. Maybe already in Gavere, otherwise in Zolder." The Czech rider has decades of experience in the discipline but naturally, over the past few years others have taken over the reigns on the ground. Stybar now fights for minor places but has the motivation to aim as high as possible.

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The World Championships taking place in his home country are a huge factor when it comes to delaying his retirement, and he looks to build form throughout the winter. That may be a tough task however: “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 Championships."

"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... The World Championships in Tábor is the farewell race I dreamed of. That's mainly what I'm thinking about right now."

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His contract with Team Jayco AlUla ends on the 31st of December. Until then he'll race with the Australian team's jersey but he will then have his own project which he will race under. He tells that he's the one ctually starting up a team. "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.”