This year, Zdenek Stybar will again participate in races of cyclocross, the discipline that brought him to prominence at the beginning of his career.
"For me, cyclocross will always be a big passion that is difficult to give up completely, even though my focus is now primarily on the road," explained Stybar. "It's an environment that I like a lot and that allows me to be near the fans that have supported me since my career began."
Stybar will participate in six races on the cyclocross calendar, beginning with Essen on December 21. On December 26 he will race in the World Cup event at Zolder, followed in quick succession by Loenhout, Bredene and Diegem. On January 1, 2014, the OPQS champion will line up at the Baal cyclocross race.
"This year I will start at the back of the field because of the cyclocross rankings, so it will be difficult to achieve as good of results as in the past," said Stybar. "In addition, I've based my training on the road season, in order to be competitive in the spring classics, so I don't really know how I compare to the rest of the group. The level of cyclocross is very high, and there are very strong riders. The goal is to race as good as possible and give everything — out of respect for the races, the organizers and the fans. It will be fun to participate in these races."
Stybar talks also about the Czech National Championship (January 12) and the Worlds scheduled in the Netherlands on February 2.
"I don't know yet if I will partecipate in the Czech National Championships because they coincide with the team training camp, which is an important time for building a base for the new season. The World Championships are still a possibility. My participation will depend on how I feel in these first cyclocross races and on my level of preparation for the road season. If I am there, it will be to ride a good race."
Stybar's 2013-2014 cyclocross schedule is as follows:
12/21/2013: Essen
12/26/2013: Zolder (World Cup)
12/27/2013: Loenhout
12/28/2013: Bredene
12/29/2013: Diegem
01/01/2014: Baal