Zoe Bäckstedt fought her way to a solid fifth place in four races, maintaining a strong and consistent start to her 2025/26 cyclo-cross season

It was a chilly day at Superprestige Gullegem, with temperatures barely reaching two degrees and a layer of overnight snow thawing into a slick, muddy race course by the 13:40 start.

Alongside the ever-influential weather element, Gullegem offered an interesting and technical course across meadowed terrain, featuring steep bridges, banks, washboards, cambers and a large sandpit. Despite the many variables, the race was tipped to be more of a group contest rather than a battle of individuals.

As the lights went green, Zoe was fully focused, launching to the front of a race she won in 2024 and finished runner-up in at the 2025 edition. She quickly found herself in a leading group of four alongside the in-form Fouquenet, Van Alphen and Neff. On lap two, Fouquenet managed to open a small advantage as the front group with Zoe swelled to seven.

A slick bike change on lap three helped Zoe manage the sticky conditions, but she found herself forced towards the back of the group and caught on the wrong side of a split. Deploying her trademark time-trialling power in an effort to regain contact, she spent several laps chasing as a new front trio of Fouquenet, Van Alphen and Norbert-Ribolle rode clear.

Partway through lap five, the gap had grown to 19 seconds, and by the final sixth lap Zoe had cemented herself in fifth place at 25 seconds down. With Fouquenet breaking clear for good, Zoe rode it home with her focus already turning to the next day’s challenge – Round 9 of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Zonhoven.