Third place! That's right. Styby's transition from cyclocross to the road appears to be a successful one. Our champion fought for the win during the fourth stage of the Four Days of Dunkirk and ended up finishing third. “I never expected this.”
The fourth stage, which featured a local circuit in and around Cassel, was the most difficult of the race. The circuit, which had to be negotiated by the riders nine times, featured two hills that. A group of 30 went on the attack shortly after the start, but Quick Step quickly reeled them in.
A trio, including Sven Nys, was then allowed to ride away and build up a significant lead. But it wasn't enough, as the group with the Cannibal was caught by another group in the finale.
There was one name that stood out among the six escapees: Styby. Our favorite battled for the stage win with Pierrick Fédrigo, Thierry Hupond, Laurent Pichon, Rob Ruijgh and Thomas Voeckler, with the last emerging as the stage winner.
Voeckler's first attempt was countered by Zdenek, but his second, just before the last lap of the 14km circuit, was too much. The French champion built up a 90 second lead and won the stage.
Styby finished the day in third and now holds the same position in the general classification. “I'm really very happy with this. It's a good feeling. With 2,600 meters of climbing, I expected to really suffer, but I got better with each lap.”
Tomorrow is the last stage to Dunkirk. It'll be interesting to see if Zdenek can hold on to his third place.
