Zdeněk Štybar

Zdeněk Štybar (; born 11 December 1985) is a Czech former professional cyclist, who rode professionally in cyclo-cross and road bicycle racing between 2005 and 2024 for , the and .

In the early part of his career, Štybar prioritised competing in cyclo-cross, where he won three world titles – in 2010, 2011 and 2014 – as well as six consecutive national titles and overall victories in both the 2009–10 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup and the 2009–10 Cyclo-cross Superprestige. Signing for in 2011, Štybar competed more readily in road racing, ultimately winning Grand Tour stages at the 2013 Vuelta a España and the 2015 Tour de France, the Czech National Road Race Championships in 2014 and 2017, and multiple one-day races. Over his professional career, Štybar took more than 60 victories across both disciplines.

Career Early life and cyclo-cross career Štybar was born in Planá. He won his first UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup race during the 2007–08 season at Kalmthout, and ultimately won the overall title in 2009–10. Following consecutive second places in the men's elite race at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in 2008 and 2009, He then defended his title the following year in Sankt Wendel, Germany.

Quick-Step (2011–2022) 2011–2013 In March 2011, Štybar joined the UCI World Tour team to combine his cyclo-cross career with a career in road cycling. In his first road race with the team, Štybar finished in third place overall at May's Four Days of Dunkirk, having finished in the same position on the race's queen stage which involved several cobbled climbs. He also finished third in the Czech National Road Race Championships the following month.

Just as in 2011, Štybar's first road start in 2012 came at the Four Days of Dunkirk; having finished second on the second stage, Štybar won the penultimate stage (also the queen stage) by ten seconds – his first professional road victory – as he finished second overall behind Jimmy Engoulvent. Having finished second to Jan Bárta at the Czech National Time Trial Championships, Štybar took his first victory at UCI World Tour level when he won the third stage of the Tour de Pologne in a sprint finish in Cieszyn. He made his Grand Tour début later in the year, at the Vuelta a España.

In 2013, Štybar came in sixth in Paris–Roubaix. He was in contention for the victory as he was part of the leading trio with Sep Vanmarcke and Fabian Cancellara when he hit a spectator, causing him to slow down to clip in his pedals. He tried to get back to the two leaders, but to no avail. In August, Štybar took the overall victory in the Eneco Tour – part of the UCI World Tour – winning two stages in the process. Later that month, Štybar won stage 7 of the Vuelta a España beating world champion Philippe Gilbert in a sprint finish in Mairena del Aljarafe.

2014 In 2014, Štybar won his third elite world title at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Hoogerheide, Netherlands following an intense battle with defending champion Sven Nys. He ran as high as third overall at Paris–Nice, but ultimately lost time on the final stage around Nice. Over the following few weeks, he recorded top-ten finishes at Milan–San Remo (seventh) and Paris–Roubaix (fifth). Having finished third in the Czech National Time Trial Championships, three days later, Štybar won his first Czech National Road Race Championships title, finishing almost a minute clear of his closest rivals.

In trying to defend his title in the Eneco Tour – where he had also won the second stage – Štybar crashed into the steel barriers in the fourth stage near the finish line and was hospitalised, losing his front upper teeth as a result. Upon his return, he complained to the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) that the same dangerous barriers were used in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec. His first victory upon his return was Binche–Chimay–Binche, where he attacked inside of to go on a small cobbled climb after being led out by his teammate Niki Terpstra at the foot of the rise. Štybar had time to celebrate, coming in 2 seconds ahead of John Degenkolb and the charging sprinters.

2015 In his first start of the 2015 season, Štybar finished in third place at the Vuelta a Murcia. Having finished seventh at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Štybar then won Strade Bianche on his first appearance at the race the following weekend; having been a part of a larger group of leading favourites, Štybar formed part of a trio that battled it out for victory in Siena along with Alejandro Valverde and Greg Van Avermaet, ultimately pulling clear of his rivals as they headed towards the Piazza del Campo.

Following his Strade Bianche victory, Štybar finished second in E3 Harelbeke, having unsuccessfully tried to chase down a solo move by Geraint Thomas. At the Tour of Flanders, his false set of front teeth he broke in 2014 rattled loose as he was riding a cobbled climb and he had to take them off. He still managed to finish the race in ninth position.

Štybar was named in the start list for the Tour de France, spending a portion of the race inside the top ten places overall. He met success on Stage 6, where he powered away on a short but steep incline situated a few hundred metres before the finish line in Le Havre. He kept Peter Sagan from reaching him, crossing the line with a two-second advantage over the reduced group. He then finished third overall at the Czech Cycling Tour, winning the final stage and the points classification, and finished fifth overall at the Tour of Britain.

2016–2019 Štybar started his 2016 season racing at the Vuelta a Mallorca one-day races, finishing third in the Trofeo Pollença–Port de Andratx. He then finished second in Strade Bianche after being outsprinted by fellow escapee Fabian Cancellara at the finish in Siena. The following week, he won the second stage of Tirreno–Adriatico after a late solo attack, to take the race lead. He held the race lead until the penultimate day, and having entered the final stage in second overall – seven seconds behind race leader Greg Van Avermaet – he ultimately lost five places in the general classification over the final individual time trial. and took top-ten results in the Tour of Flanders (eighth) and the Eneco Tour (seventh).

After top-ten finishes in successive starts at Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne (ninth) and Strade Bianche (fourth) in the spring of 2017, Štybar finished second behind Greg Van Avermaet at Paris–Roubaix, in a five-man sprint finish in Roubaix Velodrome. He then won a second Czech National Road Race Championships title, taking, for the first time, the national champion's jersey to the Tour de France. The following year, Štybar finished in the top ten placings of eight one-day races on the 2018 UCI World Tour, with a best of result of sixth place at Dwars door Vlaanderen, the Bretagne Classic Ouest-France, and the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec. He did, however, win the points classification at the BinckBank Tour.

Štybar's first start of the 2019 season came at the Volta ao Algarve, where he won the final stage of the race atop the Alto do Malhão, avenging his near miss from the previous year – when he was caught with remaining. He then became the first Czech rider to win Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, soloing away from a five-rider move around before the finish. Having taken a fourth-place finish at Strade Bianche, Štybar added a third win of the season at the E3 BinckBank Classic, winning a sprint of four riders in Harelbeke, following a leadout from teammate Bob Jungels. Štybar recorded his sixth top-ten finish in seven years at Paris–Roubaix with an eighth-place finish, but he recorded no further victories for the remainder of the season.

2020s In his first race of 2020, Štybar won the penultimate stage of the Vuelta a San Juan, starting and finishing at the Circuito San Juan Villicum motor racing circuit; he attacked inside of the final kilometre and managed to hold off the sprinters closing in behind. Following the COVID-19 pandemic-enforced suspension of racing, Štybar finished second to Adam Ťoupalík at the Czech National Road Race Championships, and finished third on stage fourteen of the Vuelta a España, having been a part of a seven-rider breakaway group.

Štybar's best results of the 2021 season came on Belgian soil; in March, he finished in fifth place at the E3 Saxo Bank Classic, spending the final portion of the race attempting to stymie any attacks from a small group of riders, behind his teammate Kasper Asgreen, who ultimately soloed to victory. In September, he finished seventh on successive weekends at the Primus Classic, and the road race at the UCI Road World Championships. In 2022, Štybar's best result was a second-place finish at the Tour of Leuven, losing to Victor Campenaerts in a sprint à deux, and he also finished in the top ten at the inaugural UCI Gravel World Championships in Italy.

Team Jayco–AlUla, retirement (2023–2024) After twelve years within the Quick-Step organisation, Štybar joined – later renamed as – on a one-year contract for the 2023 season. Primarily working as a road captain,

Štybar then competed as a privateer in the 2024 cyclo-cross races, having previously announced that he would retire following the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in February, which were to be held on home soil in Tábor. He finished 3rd in the Czech National Championships, and finished in 31st at the World Championships.

Personal life Štybar is married to Belgian national Ine Vanden Bergh, and the couple have one son.

Major results Cyclo-cross Source:

2001–2002 1st National Junior Championships

2002–2003

2004–2005 1st UCI World Under-23 Championships 1st National Under-23 Championships 3rd Overall UCI Under-23 World Cup 2nd Nommay 3rd Hofstade Under-23 Superprestige 2nd Diegem 3rd Sint-Michielsgestel 2nd Under-23 Milan 2005–2006 1st UCI World Under-23 Championships Under-23 Superprestige 2nd Sint-Michielsgestel 2nd Vorselaar 3rd Gavere 3rd Hoogstraten 3rd Overall Under-23 Gazet van Antwerpen 2nd Koppenberg 2nd Loenhout 2nd Hasselt

2006–2007 1st Ardooie 1st Harderwijk 1st Faè di Oderzo UCI Under-23 World Cup 1st Treviso 2nd Hofstade Under-23 Superprestige 1st Ruddervoorde 2nd Sint-Michielsgestel 2nd Gavere 2nd Diegem 2nd Vorselaar 2nd Hamme 2nd Diegem 2nd Hoogstraten

2nd National Championships 2nd Erpe-Mere 2nd Eernegem 3rd Antwerpen 2007–2008 1st National Championships UCI World Cup 1st Kalmthout Toi Toi Cup 1st Louny 1st Plzeň 1st Podbořany 1st Faè di Oderzo

3rd Overall Gazet van Antwerpen 2nd Loenhout 2nd Baal 3rd Koppenberg 3rd Essen 4th Overall Superprestige 2nd Ruddervoorde 2nd Hamme 2nd Hoogstraten 3rd Diegem 2008–2009 1st National Championships Superprestige 1st Diegem

2nd Mechelen 3rd Overall Gazet van Antwerpen 1st Loenhout 2nd Essen 2nd Baal 3rd Overall UCI World Cup 2nd Tábor 2nd Roubaix 3rd Koksijde 3rd Milan Toi Toi Cup 3rd Hlinsko 3rd Zonhoven 3rd Neerpelt 3rd Tervuren 2009–2010 1st UCI World Championships 1st National Championships 1st Overall UCI World Cup 1st Koksijde 1st Igorre 1st Roubaix 2nd Treviso 2nd Nommay 2nd Kalmthout 2nd Hoogerheide 3rd Plzeň 1st Overall Superprestige 1st Hamme 1st Vorselaar 2nd Hoogstraten 2nd Diegem 2nd Zonhoven 3rd Ruddervoorde 3rd Gavere 1st Tervuren 1st Mechelen Toi Toi Cup 1st Stříbro 1st Podbořany 2nd Overall Gazet van Antwerpen 1st Hasselt 2nd Baal 2nd Lille 2nd Oostmalle 3rd Namur 3rd Essen 3rd Loenhout 2nd Ardooie 2nd Neerpelt 3rd Antwerp 3rd Niel 2010–2011 1st UCI World Championships 1st National Championships 1st Ardooie 1st Bredene 1st Mechelen UCI World Cup 1st Aigle 1st Plzeň 2nd Koksijde Toi Toi Cup 1st Stříbro 1st Louny 2nd Overall Gazet van Antwerpen 1st Namur 2nd Hasselt 3rd Loenhout 2nd Zonnebeke 2nd Eeklo 3rd Overall Superprestige 1st Ruddervoorde 1st Zonhoven 2nd Baal 2nd Lille 2nd Oostmalle 3rd Diegem 3rd Heerlen 2011–2012 1st National Championships Toi Toi Cup 1st Stříbro 1st Baden 1st Ardooie 2nd Overall Gazet van Antwerpen 2nd Ronse 2nd Hasselt 2nd Loenhout 2nd Lille 2nd Oostmalle 3rd Koppenberg 2nd Mechelen 3rd Overall UCI World Cup 1st Liévin 2nd Tábor 2nd Heusden-Zolder 2nd Hoogerheide 3rd Plzeň 3rd Overall Superprestige 1st Hamme 1st Middelkerke 3rd Gavere 2nd Bredene 2012–2013 1st National Championships BPost Bank Trophy 2nd Loenhout 2nd Baal UCI World Cup 3rd Heusden-Zolder Superprestige 3rd Diegem 3rd Bredene 2013–2014 1st UCI World Championships 1st Bredene BPost Bank Trophy 2nd Baal UCI World Cup 3rd Heusden-Zolder 2022–2023 1st Dohňany II 2nd Dohňany I 2023–2024 3rd National Championships

UCI World Cup results Season 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Rank Points 2004–2005 WOR TAB PIJ KOK WET MIL HOF AIG NOM HOO LANcolspan=2 2005–2006 KAL TAB PIJ WET MIL IGO HOF HOG LIE HOOcolspan=2 2006–2007 AIG KAL TAB TRE PIJ KOK IGO MIL HOF NOM HOOcolspan=2 2007–2008 KAL TAB PIJ KOK IGO HOF LIE HOOcolspan=2 2008–2009 KAL TAB PIJ KOK IGO NOM ZOL ROU MIL 3rd 497 2009–2010 TRE PLZ NOM KOK IGO KAL ZOL ROU HOO 1st 635 2010–2011 AIG PLZ KOK IGO KAL ZOL PON HOO 11th 290 2011–2012 PLZ TAB KOK ROU NAM ZOL LIE HOO 3rd 525 2012–2013 TAB PLZ KOK IGO NAM ZOL ROM HOO 46th 65 2013–2014 VAL TAB KOK NAM ZOL ROM NOM 43rd 65 2018–2019 WAT IOW BER TAB KOK NAM ZOL PON HOO 66th 30 2019–2020 IOW WAT BER TAB KOK NAM ZOL NOM HOO 72nd 19 2022–2023 WAT FAY TAB MAA BER OVE HUL ANT DUB VDS GAV ZON BEN BES 49th 12 2023–2024 WAT MAA DEN TRO DUB FLA VDS NAM ANT GAV HUL ZON BEN HOO NC 0

Gravel 2022 8th UCI World Championships

Road Source: