With Ličge-Bastogne-Ličge Styby expanded his spring season unexpectedly. And our champion did great. “The team asked me to close the gap to the leading group before hitting the Cote de Saint-Nicolas. There was my finish.”
“The first 150 kilometer I felt anything but good”, Zdenek begins his story. “The pace was from the start terribly high. My rhythm on the climbs wasn’t that good either. But after we left Bastogne it all went a little better.”
Styby had to help Michal Kwiatkowski and Julian Alaphilippe in the final. “I knew that I had no chance today. For these kinds of races you have to train specifically. I know that if I would train for these type of races, I will be able to be with the best in the final.”
“But not today. The team gave me the order to close the gap with the three leaders before the Cote de Saint-Nicolas. Was Roman Kreuziger in the front? I did not know. It’s not fun to close the gap on a fellow countryman, but we ride for other teams.”
Zdenek did what he had to do and closed the gap. After that the leader were on they’re on. “Alaphilippe did great with a second place. He is only 22 years old and became second in La Flčche Wallonne and Ličge-Bastogne-Ličge!”
“Now I will have some rest, at least one week without the bike. And then I will start slowly again. How my program will look exactly? I do not know. I think we will talk about it with the team in the next couple of weeks.