Zdenek Stybar will be racing for Quick Step in 2011. © Bart Hazen
The cyclocross world got some big news leading into the World Championships this weekend when it was announced that World Champion Zdenek Stybar was moving from the Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team to the ProTour Quick Step team. Stybar will be joining Tom Boonen and the other top pros on the road in 2011. The announcement was followed by the reaction from Stybar’s current team which was posted on the Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team website. The following is a translation of the announcement by dedicated CXM staffers, who did the best they could.
It is no surprise, but it has now come: Zdenek Stybar, our World Champion, is leaving the Telenet Fidea Cycling Team. On Tuesday morning, Stybar informed manager Hans Kast and his sponsors of his departure. Stybar will move to Quick Step on March 1st. “Everyone wishes the World Champion very good luck with his new team and his career,” said Kast. “The whole team thanks him for five seasons of first-rate performance. The Telenet Fidea Cycling team is also happy that they helped him on his way in growing into the rider he is today.”Hans Kast was informed Tuesday by the World Champion himself. “Zdenek called me to inform me that he signed with Quick Step. We know his ambitions, we know his interests, so we wish him every success in his new team. We sincerely hope that he can achieve his new goals. We are also proud to have accompanied him for five years on his steady trip to the summit. Furthermore, the present season is not over. We are convinced that Zdenek in the remaining weeks of this year, in the colors of the Telenet Fidea Cycling Team, will be perfect as he was in previous seasons. And even if it is not with the Belgian team, we hope Sunday in St Wendel he defends his World Championship and so gives the team and its sponsors a new victory as a farewell. ”
Hans naturally regrets the departure of his captain. “We already lost Kevin Pauwels, now Styby, but the team and its sponsors remain confident. We’re just working diligently and enthusiastically on the next chapter. In this context there will be serious work after the season. Until then I keep myself motivated and working hard for the future. The Telenet Fidea Cycling Team is and will remain a top team, especially with riders like Bart Wellens, Tom Meeusen and Rob Peeters. Moreover, we are not afraid to build. On the contrary, this is a wonderful challenge,” concludes Hans.
