The Czech rider became the latest to commit his future to Deceuninck – Quick-Step.
Zdenek Stybar has signed a new agreement with Deceuninck – Quick-Step, which will see him ride with the UCI World Team Ranking leaders until the end of the 2021 season. This deal will also see him celebrate 10 years with the squad, a time during which he scored 17 victories, including a stage win at both the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, and three Classics: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, E3 Harelbeke and Strade Bianche.
His victories though do not tell the full story of Stybar’s time with Deceuninck – Quick-Step, where his contribution to the team effort cannot be underestimated. As well as being part of many of the successful Spring Classics campaigns for which he has now become synonymous, he has often played an important part in many sprint lead-out trains that have delivered a plethora of victories in recent years.
Now 33, the first ever Czech rider to win a cobbled Classic tasted victory as recently as March, when he added E3 Harelbeke to his palmares, and is looking for more success during the span of his new deal: “Extending my contract means a lot to me. I have a great relationship with everybody in the team and I’m happy that they always believed in me. They are like a second family and it’s a real pleasure to be staying for two more years. I am hoping that these will be the best two years of my career and I will be really happy to be spending them with the Wolfpack and mark a decade – a third of my life – with this amazing squad.”
Sharing in the excitement of the deal was Deceuninck – Quick-Step CEO Patrick Lefevere: “Keeping hold of Zdenek means a lot to us. He is one of our experienced riders, who can do everything and whose contribution can be seen in many of the team’s results throughout a season. He is a winner and has the instinct and knowledge of how to take victories, which is always happy to share with our younger guys. And the tireless and selfless work that he does for others is immense. That’s the kind of attitude we value.”
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele/ Getty Images