Zdenek Štival will not be running for Quick Step-Alfa Vinyl in 2023 after his team turned down a new contract offer. The Czech rider revealed his contract status after finishing second behind Victor Kampenaerts in Sunday's Tour of Leuven.

"I was told I won't be re-signed," Stival told Het Nieuwsblad (opens in new tab). 'Because the last two years have not been enough. Given my age and health problems, that is a question mark."

The 36-year-old Stibal told Het Nieuwsblad (opens tab).

The 36-year-old has been racing for Quick Step since 2011 and has won the Strade Bianche, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and E3 Harelbæk during his time with the team. He also finished second in Paris-Roubaix in 2015 and 2017.

Stibal has been plagued by health issues in recent seasons. Last April, he was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat and underwent cardiac ablation, and his 2022 Classics campaign was ruined by illness.

"The past two seasons have been a series of setbacks: illness, COVID-19...... This year, I would say that the first three days of Paris-Nice were good and I thought we were going to have a good spring. But then I got sick, and I ended up not being back in condition," said Stival, who admitted that his second place in Leuven was a timely reminder of his qualities as he looks for a new team. He also expressed his intention to compete in more cyclocross next winter.

"In that sense, this second place is not insignificant," he said. "I'm going to finish the season with a maximum of 40 days of racing, but that's too few. That's why I want to do more [cyclo-cross] races next winter. Still, the road will remain my main goal, as I still have some goals that I haven't reached yet. But if a team doesn't show up, that's just the way it is."

In Leuven, the three-time cyclo-cross world champion lost a two-up sprint to Campenaerts after a breakaway with 25km to go. Stival usually expects to beat Campenaerts in such a scenario, but was overwhelmed by the Belgian after leading the sprint.

"There was a headwind and I had to wait a really long time. I attacked with 180 meters to go to the finish and probably had too big a gear. After a tough race like this, the fastest guy doesn't always win," Stival said.

"I still had some left in my legs from the Tour de Pollogne. I woke up at 5 a.m. Saturday morning and flew from Poland to Brussels via Vienna. It was a pretty tiring day."

"It was a very tiring day.

In a column in Saturday's Het Nieuwsblad, director Patrick Lefebvre said that Mark Cavendish's departure and Iljo Caisse's retirement had already been confirmed, and five players were out of contract for 2023, but Dries Devenyns had one more season wrote that he intends to continue racing.

The Belgian is an important domestique of world champion Julien Alaphilippe."

"I will just wait: Dries will be honest with me to see if he can extend for a year," Lefebvre wrote.