ZOE GOES BACK-TO-BACK AT BALOISE AS MAIKE COMPLETES PODIUM HAT-TRICK

After becoming the youngest-ever winner of the Baloise Ladies Tour in 2025, Zoe Bäckstedt unlocked another achievement, successfully defending her title and becoming the third rider to win the race in consecutive years.

The 21-year-old sealed the overall victory by 22 seconds over Veenhoven (TVL) and Wilson-Haffenden (LTK) after safely negotiating Sunday’s nerve-fraying, high-speed 112km final stage, while Maike van der Duin rounded off a remarkable personal resurgence by sprinting to third place.

“I’m super happy to go back-to-back,” Zoe said. “It was super nice that again we had two time trials, so there’s a little bit of pressure to do well in those, but it’s all good preparation for the end of the season – doing good hit-outs on the TT bike and having some fun.”

The foundations of Zoe’s overall triumph were indeed laid in the race’s two time trials. She claimed the first purple leader’s jersey by winning Wednesday’s 3.9km prologue before overturning a brief deficit to Kool (FPC), who had taken the overall lead by bonus seconds after stage 2, with another commanding victory in Saturday morning’s 8km stage 3A time trial. Averaging around 50kph across both winning rides, Zoe proved untouchable against the clock and carried a reassuring advantage into the final day.

Modestly reflecting on her second time trial victory, Zoe said:

“Yeah, it felt okay actually. I was not sure how my legs were going to feel after the last days as there has been some quite hard racing. But, when I got into the time trial I didn’t have time to think about how my legs were feeling. It was just full gas, listening to the radio, and knowing where to turn, how to take the corners etc. and I came out with a really good result. It was a fast one, just over 10 minutes, but I actually quite enjoyed it.”

Fast-forward to Sunday, and one final sprint-friendly stage on a fast, flat circuit remained. The grand facades and moody skies of Mechelen in northern Belgium provided the backdrop in a showdown for both stage and overall honours. 

“Chaos. Utter chaos,” were the first words that came to Zoe’s mind when asked to describe the stage. She continued: “It was super hard, and on a really bumpy circuit, so a little bit dangerous sometimes, but we really worked well as a team today and had a final good lead-out, so it was super nice that Maike could finish it off with a good result.”

Having ended a 790-day wait for a podium on Thursday, before finishing runner-up in Saturday’s evening stage 3B, Maike carried strong momentum into Sunday, achieving her third podium finish in three days. The performances marked a welcome return to the sharp end of bunch sprints, although she admitted there was still a lingering sense of unfinished business. 

“I’m really happy and proud about where I came from and where I am now – with my fitness, confidence and sprinting in general. But on the other hand, especially today, I was so close that there’s also a little bit of disappointment because I believe it’s really possible to do better. So the feelings are a little mixed, but for sure there’s a lot of happiness.”

The result also ensured CANYON//SRAM finished every stage of the race with a rider on the podium, while the headline results were underpinned by selfless teamwork. Wilma Aintila, Tiffany Cromwell, Maria Martins and Joëlle Messemer all played vital roles throughout the five days, whether controlling breakaways, protecting Zoe, or delivering the team into position for the race’s decisive moments.

Zoe was especially quick to praise the efforts of her German and Finnish teammates, 19-year-old Joëlle and 22-year-old Wilma.

“Last year, we had a super strong team, also mixed with Generation, and this year again, we had Joëlle with us. It was very nice to be racing as a combined team, let’s say. Hats off to Joëlle and Wilma this week, they were my two MVPs. The rest of the team were super strong, but they were my standout riders, so credit to them.”

Even after a landmark Baloise Ladies Tour in 2025 and a spectacular run of results throughout 2026, Zoe insisted she never viewed a successful title defence as inevitable.

“I didn’t expect it because anything can still happen, especially with these sprint stages. If one person wins every single day, then it’s also possible that I can’t be in the lead anymore. I never expect to win, so any victory that comes is amazing.”

Alongside the overall title, Zoe also successfully defended the youth classification, making it back-to-back victories in both competitions.

Success wasn’t confined to the WorldTeam, with CANYON//SRAM Generation also recording a pair of encouraging performances in France.

The team first lined up for La Périgord Ladies in the Limousin region on Saturday, tackling a relentlessly rolling 127.5km parcours. With 77km still to race, Swinkels (UAE) launched an attack on an uphill rise, forcing a selection of four riders that included Emily Dixon, the group then swelling to 10. The move proved decisive, with the 19-year-old Australian sprinting to an impressive seventh against a high-calibre group of escapees that finished three minutes clear of the peloton.

A day later, racing shifted to more gently undulating roads in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, where a largely controlled race ended in a large bunch sprint. This time it was Erja Bianchi flying the flag, the 18-year-old Italian powering to eighth against a strong field of more experienced competitors.

Successful weekends in Belgium and France across both squads! A couple of well-earned recovery days await.