When you ask riders and managers who are the favourites for the World Championship road title, the usual suspects of Peter Sagan, Alexander Kristoff and John Degenkolb always appear. Zdenek Stybar, however, heads into this year's World Championships with his best shot at a medal and is a serious outsider for the rainbow jersey.
The Czech national team don't provide the same firepower as many of the bigger nations and with only six riders they'll have to rely on others to set the agenda. However, after seeing his teammate Petr Vakoc put in a dominating ride to win the second stage of the Tour of Britain – admittedly he has since crashed and fractured a finger - Stybar believes that the country is sending their best team yet.
"It's really great. Also Roman Kreuziger has been really strong and also some of the young guys that are coming with us. So I think it is the first time at the World Championships we will have a really strong team," Stybar told Cyclingnews at the start of the third stage of the Tour of Britain.
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As well as Kreuziger, Vakoc and Stybar, the team brings Jan Barta and youngsters Jiri Polnick and Karel Hnik. The undulating course and the pavé should see Stybar in his element and be the rider that the Czech team name as their leader, although if Vakoc can recover from his mishap then he provides them with another card to play.
Like many, Stybar is using the Tour of Britain as his final preparation for the Worlds Championships road race, which takes place two weeks after the final stage. The race is his first since early August, when he competed at home in the Czech Cycling Tour but he feels like he is on the right track. "I feel that I'm improving. I had some long training periods and now I just need to get into the rhythm," he explained.
"Normally it (the course) should with the cobblestones uphill suit me, it should be good for me. I think that this race is perfect preparation for the Worlds. I feel that I'm in good shape and that it's getting better and better. There is still a long way until the worlds and I hope that everything goes well."
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