Zdenek Stybar offered a Quick Step deal
World cyclo-cross champion Zdenek Stybar has confirmed that road cycling team Quick Step has presented him an offer.
The Czech rider had recently said that he was interested in competing in the northern spring races such as the Tour de Flanders and the Paris-Roubaix. After those comments were published, Quick Step, which won both of those races in 2008 and 2009, sat down
with the 24-year-old Czech, who currently rides with ‘cross team Telenet-Fidea.
“Last Monday I was almost ready to sign with Telenet,” said Stybar to Sporza. “But there were a few things that were not right. Then suddenly I got a very nice offer from Quick Step; I was surprised by it. Hans Van Kasteren has the last world, but I am now
close to Quick Step.”
Van Kasteren, manager of team Telenet-Fidea, technically has to give Stybar permission to abandon his contract.
Stybar is the current number-one in the sport. Sven Nys, who is ten years older than Stybar, is a match for the Czech and with 2009 World Champion Niels Albert, they have been called the ‘big three’. Stybar’s team-mate Kevin Pauwels, who won the GvA Hasselt
on Saturday, has thrown his name in with the big three as well.
“You can maybe talk about it becoming the ‘big four’,” said Pauwels to the Belgian media.
Stybar has welcomed his team-mate's comment, saying, “It’s good for ‘cross. There are now five candidates for the win in each ‘cross,” explained Stybar, referring to the ‘big four’ plus Klaas Vantournout, “and that unpredictability is good for the excitement
and so good for the sport.”
Of the five riders he has listed, Stybar is the youngest and the highest ranked. Nys himself said that having one dominated force for too long was bad for the sport, and at Stybar’s young age a top-class road career is attainable.
In the meantime, if Stybar takes the Quick Step deal, he will have to be patient while the team still favours Tom Boonen in the spring classics.
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