Zdenek Stybar is a man of many talents.

Stybar made his name in cyclo-cross, winning back-to-back world titles in 2010 and 2011, but switched his focus to the road in 2012 and, riding for Omega Pharma-QuickStep, finished sixth at Paris-Roubaix, won the two stages of the Eneco Tour and the overall title, and claimed a stage of the Vuelta a Espana in a breakthrough 2013 season.

But the mud remains Stybar’s first love and the 28-year-old won his third world cyclo-cross title in Hoogerheide last weekend on this Specialized S-Works CruX.

Stybar arrived in the Netherlands with just a handful of cyclo-cross races under his belt this winter, and started several rows back on the grid as a result, but the powerful Czech made his move on the final lap to top the podium ahead of full-time ‘cross specialists Sven Nys and Kevin Pauwels.

Stybar helped develop the S-Works CruX – dubbed a ‘Tarmac for the dirt’ by Specialized and the centrepiece of our winter cyclo-cross build – and his machine was dressed in a SRAM Red groupset, Avid Shorty Ultimate cantilever brakes, Zipp wheels and finishing kit, and a Quarq power meter.

Let’s take a closer look at Stybar’s weapon of choice – still under a thick layer of mud from his World Championship-winning ride.