Zdenek Stibal (Deceuninck-QuickStep) will compete in his first cyclocross race of the winter next Sunday at the World Championships in Ostend, Belgium.

The three-time world champion had previously indicated that he would not participate in any cyclocross events this season, but reversed that decision amid uncertainty about the early part of the 2021 road calendar due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

"I was not expected to compete in this year's World Championships, but things are progressing," Stybar said in a statement released by his Deceuninck-QuickStep team on Monday. [As you know, this discipline is a passion of mine and after watching some of the races on TV, I felt in my gut that I really wanted to race. Normally it wouldn't fit into my schedule, but things have changed and I've done a lot of training, so I'm in good shape."

Stival started the 2020 road season, which was interrupted by the pandemic, with a stage win at the Vuelta a San Juan last January and ended the season at the Vuelta a España in November. Due to the late end of the season, he initially decided not to race cyclocross this winter, but a string of cancellations and postponements at the beginning of the 2021 season prompted him to reconsider.

Following the cancellation of the Vuelta a San Juan and Tour Down Under in January, many races scheduled to take place in Europe, including Challenge Mallorca, Vuelta a Andalucia, and Volta ao Algarve, were postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

"I considered my options and discussed them with Patrick Lefebvre and the team management. So from there I started preparing the material.

The Czech won cyclocross world titles in 2010 and 2011, but after signing with QuickStep, he moved his main focus to the road. He has not missed a single cyclocross race, most notably in 2014 when he won the world title for the third time in his career. Last winter he competed in nine cyclocross races.

Stybar acknowledged that defending champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) and three-time champion Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) are the overwhelming favorites for the top two finishes in the Ostend He acknowledged that the battle for the bronze medal would be fierce, but he suggested that the competition for the bronze medal would be fierce.

"I always have special feelings about the World Championships. It's where I started my career and I have a special victory in this event. I'm not going in this time expecting to win, but I'm going to push myself and do everything I can to get the best possible result."

"We have two strong contenders in Wout Van Aert and Mathieu Van Der Pol, but after that it will be a battle for third place. The course is not too technical and will be easy to ride for powerful riders. My last training went very well, so I will be able to push hard."

Stybar's World Championships appearance was announced despite fears that the race might not take place due to a coronavirus outbreak in Oostende, although the UCI has already confirmed the cancellation of the junior event at the 2021 World Cyclocross Championships, under-23 and elite races remain on the schedule.