Zdenek secured third place in the overall standings in the Four Days of Dunkirk. Our favorite finished 32nd in the final stage, which was won by Marcel Kittel, who was also victorious in the first three stages of the race.
A group including Styby's teammate Julien Vermote broke away from the peloton during the stage. The six riders had a five minute lead at the 50km mark, but the gap dwindled as the finish neared.
“The rest of the team was able to hold a steady position in the peloton thanks to Julien's presence in the break,” Styby said. “All we had to do was defend my third place position. And the team did a great job. Now I understand why it's so important to have a strong team around you.”
The opportunity to battle for the win wasn't in the cards for Vermote. The peloton reeled in the attackers during the finale and it was another sprint finish. Kittel had the best legs and booked his fifth victory of the season.
Thomas Voeckler, winner of yesterday's difficult stage, came away with the overall victory. The French champion finished close to 2 minutes ahead of Laurent Pichon and our Czech. “I'm really very happy that I managed to hold on to third place. I never expected this in my first race.”
Styby will be back in action starting this Friday in the Tour of Picardy.
