Many words have been written about the upcoming duel between Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel at the Ostend world championships. The media and riders have called this race a "50-50" between the two men. Both are currently sitting on 3 elite men's cyclocross world championships and seek a 4th.
Today things got even more interesting, as Zdeněk Štybar announced he'll take the start for Czechia. Štybar is also a 3x prior world champion in cyclocross, having won in 2010, 2011, and 2014.
Since he hasn't done any 2020/21 'cross races, Štybar will be starting way back in the grid, which will hamper his chances. He has the engine and skills to move up quickly though, and suggests that 3rd place might be possible:
"Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel crosses out of category, but I expect an open battle for 3rd place. The course doesn't look too technical."
The last-minute addition of Štybar to the start list adds an element of excitement to the day. Looking forward to watching!