# Zdeněk Štybar

Zdeněk Štybar (Czech pronunciation:; 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 Telenet–Fidea, the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team and Team Jayco–AlUla.
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 Quick-Step 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 u Mariánských Lázní. 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, Štybar won the 2010 edition on home soil in Tábor. 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 Quick-Step 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 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) 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. He then finished in second place in Paris–Roubaix, being outsprinted by John Degenkolb at Roubaix Velodrome.
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 10.05-kilometre (6.24-mile) individual time trial. He took no further victories for the remainder of the season, recording second-place finishes at both the Czech National Road Race Championships and Binche–Chimay–Binche, 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 (BMC Racing Team) 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 1.5 kilometres (0.93 miles) remaining. He then became the first Czech rider to win Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, soloing away from a five-rider move around 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) 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 Team BikeExchange–Jayco – later renamed as Team Jayco–AlUla – on a one-year contract for the 2023 season. Primarily working as a road captain, Štybar recorded his best result in, what would turn out to be, his final start with the team – a podium finish (third place) at the Hong Kong Cyclothon, won by teammate Lukas Pöstlberger. Having completed the road season, Štybar left the team following four starts during the 2023–24 cyclo-cross season.
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
    3rd UCI World Junior Championships

#### 2002–2003

    3rd UCI World Junior Championships

#### 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
    3rd UEC European Under-23 Championships

#### 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 UEC European Under-23 Championships
    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
    2nd UCI World Championships
    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 UCI World Championships
    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 52 | TAB — | PIJ — | KOK — | WET — | MIL — | HOF — | AIG — | NOM — | HOO — | LAN — | | | | — | — |
| 2005–2006 | KAL 23 | TAB 9 | PIJ 18 | WET 11 | MIL 28 | IGO — | HOF 18 | HOG 10 | LIE 5 | HOO 27 | | | | | — | — |
| 2006–2007 | AIG 9 | KAL — | TAB 6 | TRE — | PIJ 15 | KOK — | IGO — | MIL — | HOF — | NOM — | HOO — | | | | — | — |
| 2007–2008 | KAL 1 | TAB 5 | PIJ 7 | KOK 15 | IGO 13 | HOF 13 | LIE 7 | HOO 47 | | | | | | | — | — |
| 2008–2009 | KAL 6 | TAB 2 | PIJ 13 | KOK 3 | IGO 6 | NOM 17 | ZOL 5 | ROU 2 | MIL 3 | | | | | | 3rd | 497 |
| 2009–2010 | TRE 2 | PLZ 3 | NOM 2 | KOK 1 | IGO 1 | KAL 2 | ZOL 6 | ROU 1 | HOO 2 | | | | | | 1st | 635 |
| 2010–2011 | AIG 1 | PLZ 1 | KOK 2 | IGO — | KAL — | ZOL — | PON — | HOO 4 | | | | | | | 11th | 290 |
| 2011–2012 | PLZ 3 | TAB 2 | KOK 4 | ROU 1 | NAM 5 | ZOL 2 | LIE 1 | HOO 2 | | | | | | | 3rd | 525 |
| 2012–2013 | TAB — | PLZ — | KOK — | IGO — | NAM — | ZOL 3 | ROM — | HOO — | | | | | | | 46th | 65 |
| 2013–2014 | VAL — | TAB — | KOK — | NAM — | ZOL 3 | ROM — | NOM — | | | | | | | | 43rd | 65 |
| 2018–2019 | WAT — | IOW — | BER — | TAB — | KOK — | NAM — | ZOL 21 | PON — | HOO — | | | | | | 66th | 30 |
| 2019–2020 | IOW — | WAT — | BER — | TAB — | KOK — | NAM — | ZOL 32 | NOM — | HOO — | | | | | | 72nd | 19 |
| 2022–2023 | WAT — | FAY — | TAB 17 | MAA — | BER — | OVE — | HUL — | ANT — | DUB — | VDS — | GAV — | ZON DNF | BEN 23 | BES — | 49th | 12 |
| 2023–2024 | WAT — | MAA — | DEN — | TRO — | DUB — | FLA — | VDS — | NAM — | ANT — | GAV — | HUL 43 | ZON — | BEN — | HOO 27 | NC | 0 |

### Gravel
#### 2022

    8th UCI World Championships

### Road

Source:

#### 2005

    8th Gran Premio della Liberazione
    9th Overall Giro delle Regioni

#### 2006

    1st Stage 6 Volta a Lleida
    1st Stage 3 Tour des Pyrénées

#### 2007

    3rd Grand Prix Criquielion

#### 2010

    1st Prologue Okolo Slovenska

#### 2011

    3rd Road race, National Championships
    3rd Overall Four Days of Dunkirk

#### 2012 (2 pro wins)

    1st Stage 3 Tour de Pologne
    2nd Time trial, National Championships
    2nd Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
       1st Stage 4
    10th Paris–Tours

#### 2013 (4)

    1st Overall Eneco Tour
       1st Stages 3 & 7
    1st Stage 7 Vuelta a España
    1st Stage 1 (TTT) Tirreno–Adriatico
    6th Paris–Roubaix

#### 2014 (3)

    National Championships
       1st Road race
       3rd Time trial
    1st Binche–Chimay–Binche
    1st Stage 2 Eneco Tour
    5th Paris–Roubaix
    7th Milan–San Remo
    10th Clásica de San Sebastián

#### 2015 (3)

    1st Strade Bianche
    1st Stage 6 Tour de France
    2nd E3 Harelbeke
    2nd Paris–Roubaix
    3rd Overall Czech Cycling Tour
       1st Points classification
       1st Stages 1 (TTT) & 4
    3rd Vuelta a Murcia
    5th Overall Tour of Britain
    7th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
    9th Tour of Flanders

#### 2016 (1)

    2nd Road race, National Championships
    2nd Strade Bianche
    2nd Binche–Chimay–Binche
    3rd Trofeo Pollença–Port de Andratx
    7th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
       1st Stage 2
    7th Overall Eneco Tour
    8th Tour of Flanders
    8th Gran Piemonte

#### 2017 (1)

    1st Road race, National Championships
    2nd Paris–Roubaix
    4th Strade Bianche
    9th Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne

#### 2018

    1st Points classification, BinckBank Tour
    6th Bretagne Classic Ouest-France
    6th Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
    6th Dwars door Vlaanderen
    7th Strade Bianche
    8th Gent–Wevelgem
    9th Paris–Roubaix
    9th E3 Harelbeke
    10th Tour of Flanders

#### 2019 (3)

    1st E3 BinckBank Classic
    1st Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
    4th Strade Bianche
    6th Overall Volta ao Algarve
       1st Stage 5
    8th Paris–Roubaix

#### 2020 (1)

    1st Stage 6 Vuelta a San Juan
    2nd Road race, National Championships
    6th Strade Bianche

#### 2021

    5th E3 Saxo Bank Classic
    7th Road race, UCI World Championships
    7th Primus Classic

#### 2022

    2nd Tour of Leuven

#### Grand Tour general classification results timeline

| Grand Tour | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
| Giro d'Italia | — | — | — | — | — | — | 80 | — | — | — |
| Tour de France | — | — | — | 103 | — | 102 | — | — | — | — |
| Vuelta a España | 76 | DNF | — | — | 63 | — | — | 55 | 102 | 133 |

#### Classics results timeline

| Monument | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Milan–San Remo | — | 66 | 7 | 56 | 142 | — | — | 67 | 19 | 37 | 68 | 52 |
| Tour of Flanders | — | 36 | 18 | 9 | 8 | 67 | 10 | 36 | 73 | — | 54 | 75 |
| Paris–Roubaix | — | 6 | 5 | 2 | 110 | 2 | 9 | 8 | NH | 26 | 45 | 79 |
| Liège–Bastogne–Liège | — | — | — | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Giro di Lombardia | — | — | — | DNF | DNF | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Classic | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Omloop Het Nieuwsblad | — | 92 | 29 | 7 | — | 14 | 20 | 1 | 36 | 125 | 62 | DNF |
| Strade Bianche | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 62 | — | 73 |
| E3 Harelbeke | — | 40 | 19 | 2 | 15 | 53 | 9 | 1 | NH | 5 | 54 | 86 |
| Gent–Wevelgem | — | 57 | 20 | 38 | 46 | 52 | 8 | 35 | 41 | 25 | — | 84 |
| Dwars door Vlaanderen | — | — | — | — | — | 21 | 6 | — | NH | — | 61 | DNF |
| Clásica de San Sebastián | 45 | — | 10 | 38 | 28 | 26 | — | — | NH | DNF | — | — |
| Paris–Tours | 10 | — | — | — | 71 | 71 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Legend :
| — | Did not compete |
| DNF | Did not finish |
| NH | Not held |

## Decorations

Awarded by Czech Republic
* Medal of Merit (2024)