ZDENEK STYBAR WINS SIXTH CZECH CYCLO-CROSS TITLE

ZDENEK STYBAR WINS SIXTH CZECH CYCLO-CROSS TITLE

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Zdenek Stybar earned his sixth white, red and blue jersey on Sunday, at the Czech National Cyclo-Cross Championship in Unicov. This is his fifth consecutive national title.

"I'm really happy to have won in front of my public," Stybar said. "Returning home is always something special for me."

Stybar, also a 2011 world champion, attacked early on the first lap. He gained a 4.5 second gap on the field on his pink Specialized bicycle by the time lap two came around. However, Radomir Simunek Jr. caught up to him on the second lap. The two battled while they built a 20-plus second gap on the field, both getting a bike change on lap three 20 minutes and 43 seconds into the race.

"In the beginning the pace was not hard because the conditions of the track weren't so bad," Stybar said. "I decided to make my move in a muddy section and I went alone." Stybar attacked 25 minutes into the race. He opened up a 21.1 second gap just minutes later on Simunek Jr., and the gap only grew from there, up to a minute and 35 seconds by the time Stybar crossed the finish line for the victory.

"Now after the national title I will start thinking about the world championship," Stybar said. "I have two more races before the Worlds in which I can set up my condition. We will see in the next days how the situation will evolve." Stybar's win is the first win of the season for Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team.