Following a strong Strada Bianche win, Zdenek Stybar is performing well in Tirreno-Adriatico, where he hopes he can gain more form to help him win a Classic.

“Of course, everyone is very excited about the spring classics. This team lives for them,” he continued. “I hope to arrive in the best condition possible. Last year, we had some big successes, and we want to do that again. The most important is to arrive in good condition.”

However, he and his Etixx-QuickStep team were dealt a huge blow with the injury to Classics legend and experienced figurehead Tom Boonen, after the Belgian crashed out in Paris-Nice and will miss the whole Classics campaign.

“It’s a real shame that Tom [Boonen] will not be racing the classics. When he is in the race, he is always a favorite to win, and that lifts the entire team,” he said. “We will discuss how we will confront the classics in the coming weeks. We will have a strong team, but right now we have Tirreno-Adriatico, and we come here with a good team as well.”

After Tirreno, Stybar launches his Classics campaign proper, starting with Milan-Sanremo, E3, Gent-Wevelgem, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.