At just 20 years old, Zoe Bäckstedt delivered a truly standout ride in an already decorated career to claim her first elite national road title at the British Time Trial Championships – securing one of the most fiercely contested and highly coveted jerseys in the international peloton.

“It means so much to win this national title at home, in Wales. Now, for the next year it’s about just trying to do as many races as possible with time trials in them, starting with Baloise and Simac Tours coming up.”

The 27 kilometre against-the-clock test was centred around Aberaeron in West Wales, a coastal town near the Irish Sea. It was a demanding two-lap route that offered the full spectrum of time trialling terrain – narrow lanes, open straights, tight bends, and a punishing 500m ramp at 15%. It required not just physical power, but razor-sharp focus and maximum cognitive effort. There was barely a moment to switch off or breathe.

Zoe reflects on the ride itself, and the experience of the event as a whole.

“Everything went to plan today. It all ran super smooth and everything was just perfect, so that made the actual effort feel a little bit easier. The course was quite tricky and there was a technical downhill that we had to do twice, along with some sharp corners and other features like this. This made the time trial a little bit more tiring on the mind but all in all, it was still a perfect day.”

Starting third-to-last, with a string of top time trialists having already laid down their marks, Zoe obliterated the benchmark set by formidable rival Pfeiffer Georgi (TPP), finishing a staggering 1 minute and 27 seconds faster. Defending champion Anna Henderson (LTK), the final rider to roll down the ramp, came within 20 secs of Zoe. They were the only riders to dip under 40 mins, with Zoe the sole competitor to break 39, averaging a blistering 41.7 kph on a challenging Welsh course.

“The first thing that crossed my mind when I finished was wondering what time Anna Henderson had done and if she’d finished yet, while trying to get some water down me as was quite a warm day. I was also mostly just relieved that I’d finished.”

Already a multi-time British and World Champion as a junior on the road, and with a European U23 time trial title to her name, Zoe finally converted her trademark power and tenacity into her first elite championship title, delivering a performance that’s hard to put into words. Although the course was still two hours from her hometown, riding on local roads seemed to ignite something special in the young Welshwoman.

Next up, she will join CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto Generation rider and fellow Welshwoman Awen Roberts for Sunday’s road race. After this performance in the time trial, form and motivation will be sky-high for the 130km race – held on two twisting circuits with a total of 1900m elevation gain across mostly moderate gradients. Awen, too, is in a rich vein of form, so expect the pair to be key protagonists in what’s sure to be an open and animated contest.

It almost feels too soon to shift focus to Sunday rather than basking in the glow of Zoe’s time trial triumph a little longer. Still, there’s no doubt she’ll be wearing that same wide smile come the weekend.

“I think for the road race on Sunday, this result makes me more motivated – a little bit of pressure is also off knowing that the week started so well. I can just go out full gas and have some fun, but at the same time I also don’t really know what to expect. It’s just going to be a ‘see-what-happens-and-go-for-it’ type of race, hopefully all the way into the final.”