Zdenek Stybar is calling time on a 12-year stint at QuickStep-AlphaVinyl and moving on to BikeExchange-Jayco next season, but the 37-year-old Classics rider still has big ambitions for the remainder of his career despite recent tough seasons due to illness and family reasons.
The Czech rider is a former cyclocross world champion and perennial Classics contender, having stepped on the Paris-Roubaix podium twice before and won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Strade Bianche, and E3 Harelbeke.
However, he hasn't taken a win since 2020 and is now stepping into the unknown with a new team having raced his entire WorldTour road career with QuickStep.
Speaking to Het Laatste Nieuws, Stybar said he would "never stop dreaming" of big goals with a Monument victory still in his sights as he vowed that the 2023 season would be different to the years just passed.
"Never stop dreaming. It may not sound realistic to you, but I would still really like to win a Monument," he said.
"A stage in the Giro would also be nice, then I will have won a stage in every major tour. And I want to return to the Tour one more time.
"The most important thing is that 2023 will not be a year like 2021 or 2022. All those setbacks, being sick so often; if I have to go through that one more time, then it's over. Mentally that's not going to work anymore.
"I'm content. I had a very bad season, but now I feel good again. Going to a new team gives a lot of motivation. I signed for one year, but maybe I want to continue for years. It is exactly as if time has turned back seven years. It's nice to make plans again."
Stybar signed with QuickStep all the way back in 2011, ramping up his road racing in the process. He's taken 18 wins along the way, including the Eneco Tour and stages at the Tour and Vuelta, but his time with the team has come to an end after he was told he wouldn't be offered a new contract.
He said that he isn't angry about the situation, adding that he understood why he had to leave.
"In the past, there would have been tears, but today I'm a different person, more down-to-earth," he said.
"My time at QuickStep was a third of my life and I'm grateful for that. I'm not mad at Patrick or anything. The older I get, the better I realize that cycling is pure business. I didn't perform for two years, but I got paid. If that's why I can't stay, I understand.
"Not everything has gone as hoped, but I always think very long before making a decision. So no, I don't think I would have made different choices. QuickStep is a good memory. I'm especially going to remember the feeling in the group.
"All the victories with Kittel and Cavendish in the Tour, or that time I crossed the finish line hand in hand in Milan-San Remo with Gilbert, Lampaert and Viviani when Julian had won. It's been nice, but now it's time for something else, and that's nice too."
Stybar said that he hasn't signed with BikeExchange-Jayco just to cash a cheque, noting that his passion for racing is still there despite several seasons blighted by illness and injury.
His 2022 campaign also brought personal tragedy and another extremely hard spell after his wife suffered a miscarriage in the spring.
"I've learned to put things in perspective better," he said.
"But I had help for that, I didn't do it alone. I was on my knees in April, but my family and some very good friends, who are there even when things are bad, have given me another mental boost. I also found a good mental coach.
"I want to continue road cycling – in combination with cross-country and gravel races, that is, but not without the road. I didn't sign with BikeExchange to make some more money. If racing becomes a hobby, I'd rather put my time into my little son."
Stybar has already started his 'cross season, taking on five races including his home World Cup in Tabor and Tuesday night's Nacht van Woerden, where he finished 12th.
He'll be back on the 'cross bike at Christmas, and may even ride the World Championships this year, but he said that next season he'll do more.
"That was the last one for now," he said. "At Christmas, I'll return for a race or six. If they turn out well, I'll also do the World Championships. But I have no great ambition: cyclocross is in function of the road. This is all preparation.
"Next year I'm definitely going to do more crosses. Then the World Championships will be held in Tabor. I really don't think I'm going to win there, but Sunday I still had the feeling I could have ridden a top 10 if I had been allowed to start at the front.
"Sure, Van Aert, Van der Poel and Pidcock weren't there, but if I start training specifically next winter, I should still perform reasonably well."
