AFTER 4TH IN WORLD CUP FINALE, ZOE EYES UP ELITE DEBUT AT WORLDS

The UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup drew to a close over the weekend, with Zoe Bäckstedt demonstrating strong form across rounds 11 and 12 in Maasmechelen (Belgium) and Hoogerheide (the Netherlands).

Calm and sunny conditions greeted riders on both days, with the fair weather turning two relatively flat, fast courses into especially high-octane affairs. Starting from the third row in both races, Zoe had little choice but to fight her way through traffic. From the get-go, the pace was fierce, stretching the high-quality fields into single file and making progress towards the front particularly challenging.

In Maasmechelen, Zoe couldn’t quite reach the very front of the race, but she kept the pressure on the pedals throughout. A late surge saw her pass two riders in the short finishing straight to claim eighth place, 1:34 mins down on winner Puck Pieterse (FPC). While Saturday already marked a solid performance, Zoe massively raised the bar in Hoogerheide one day later.

On a grassy circuit reminiscent of a cyclo-cross criterium, she managed to rapidly erase her starting deficit, charging through to fourth place by the end of the opening lap. What followed was six laps of constant action by a lively front group, with Zoe repeatedly producing powerful surges to bridge across and shut down moves. Although she faded slightly when Pieterse attacked up a punchy incline on the penultimate lap, Zoe’s fire never fully went out. She crossed the line in fourth – her best World Cup result of the season – and stepped onto the podium in the rainbow jersey as first U23 for the second consecutive day.

This strong double-header came immediately after Zoe returned from a demanding 12-day January training camp with her CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto teammates, broken up by World Cup Round 10 in Benidorm. She was rapt with the outcome.

“I’m feeling super positive about this last double weekend of racing. I had a hard training camp with the team so didn’t know what to expect, but it seems like those big days worked out well!”

Despite narrowly missing out on an elite podium in Hoogerheide, Zoe kept the bigger picture firmly in mind. After all, a broken wrist did delay the start of her 2025/2026 cyclo-cross campaign, preventing outdoor riding for five weeks.

“It’s bittersweet, but at the same time it’s my best result this season in a World Cup. In such a short cross season, it’s hard to bring the form for every race, but finally I feel like I can be happy with this ride.”

With that confidence still fresh, Zoe now turns her attention to Saturday’s big showdown – the women’s elite race at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Hulst, the Netherlands. Friday’s Mixed Team Relay is set to serve as a spicy leg-and-lung opener for the Great Britain representative.

“I’m excited for my first elite worlds. It’s going to be a challenge and a completely different type of race to what I’m used to, but that’s half the fun. I don’t really have expectations in terms of results – it’s more about carrying the good legs from this weekend across.”

Although still eligible for the U23 category, Zoe made the bold and exciting decision to step up and race in the elite field this year.

“⁠In reality, I decided a while ago about racing the elite race. In the end, it was about challenging myself to face these strong ladies!”

With the countdown to worlds now short enough to be counted on one hand, there’s little left to do except fine-tune ahead of the elite competition.

“⁠The week leading into worlds is just a lot of resting – a lot of time on the couch and that’s about it! For sure, there’ll be a few days with some last intervals to get fully ready, but for now all the hard work is done, so the only other thing you can do is rest!”

HOW TO FOLLOW 

Mixed Team Relay | Fri, Jan 30 | 6 x 3.3km laps | start: 13:35 CET.

Women Elite Race | Sat, Jan 31 | 50 mins | start: 15:10 CET.

Coverage begins shortly before each race on Eurosport, Discovery Plus, TNT Sports, FloBikes, the UCI YouTube channel, NOS, Sporza, and other regional broadcasters.