Zdenek Stybar (Telenet - Fidea) finished in fourth place, more than two minutes down on Nys.(Image credit: www.ispaphoto.com)
All hail the winner, Stybar does it again(Image credit: ispaphoto.com)
A proud Zdenek Stybar (Telenet - Fidea) stands atop the podium after his World Cup victory in Aigle.(Image credit: www.ispaphoto.com)
World cyclo-cross champion Zdenek Stybar has dominated the season so far but after finishing only fourth on Monday in the Koppenbergcross, he has taken off to Mallorca for some intense training.
The Koppenbergcross was the first major race that the Czech has not won this season. His other defeat on October 28, was to Radomir Simunek Jr., who won the Memorial Radomir Simunek race dedicated to his late father.
Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) comfortably won the Koppenbergcross for the eighth time after spending a week training in Mallorca. It was the first win of the season for the 34-year-old, who beat his closest rivals by over a minute. Stybar finished 3:08 down in fourth place.
Stybar described the race an “off day” because of three factors. “Because of a lot of obligations, I didn't have enough recovery time for the Koppenberg Cross,” he told Het Laatste Nieuws. He also crashed halfway through.
“The third and probably the biggest factor: Above all, Sven Nys was really very impressive,” Stybar admitted.
After the race he quickly headed to Mallorca, where he “will combine a lot of training with a lot of nothing. I will stay here until Wednesday, and then next week I hope to reap the rewards of my hard work here,” he said.
His next race is November 11 in Niel, Czech Republic. The next GvA Trofee race is on November 20 in Hasselt, Belgium.
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