"Van Aert and Van der Poel revolutionized the way of thinking" - Zdenek Stybar about the two multidiscipline pioneers

Zdenek Stybar was one of the very few riders that had a two successful careers - in cyclocross and on the road. That was before the rise of superstars Mathieu van der Poel and Wout Van Aert. Talking to Bici.news, the 38-year-old Czech looks back at his own transition to road and how the times have changed since then.

"Yes, it was possible, but no one really believed in it," Stybar thinks about why we didn't get to see that many multidiscipline talents in the past. "And also no one wanted to take the risk, because the team signed me to race on the road and not in cyclocross. Although I always thought that doing some cyclocross races in the winter would be good preparation towards the road, and it would be good in terms of image as well."

"Back then, the practice of winter preparation was different," Stybar continues. "Altitude camps played a key role in the preparation. You started in Calpe in December, the had one during January and another at the end of January."

"But I think that winter can also be filled with some cyclocross or track races, because you won't lose intensity and explosiveness and thus improve the quality of your preparation, and it's also good for the psyche. You are also more focused because you still have your race number on and you still want to perform. What is certain is that Van Aert and Van der Poel certainly revolutionized this way of thinking."