Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM) will carry her robust end-of-season street racing type into the brand new cyclocross season with a watch on defending her under-23 title on the UCI Cyclocross World Championships scheduled in Liévin, France on February 2.
Bäckstedt and her workforce introduced that her cyclocross season would start at X2O Trophee – Lokeren Rapencross on November 10, and embody a condensed line-up of races from November to February with a number of double weekends that additionally characteristic occasions on the UCI Cyclocross World Cup.
“This yr’s World Cup program is condensed into lower than 2.5 months. Which means a whole lot of intense weekends with double days. I’ve nonetheless not had too many full cyclocross seasons on the elite degree, however I stay up for seeing how I progress,” Bäckstedt stated.
“One of many largest objectives would be the World Championships, not too removed from my house in Belgium and, fingers crossed, a course that I’ll discover enjoyable.
“However most significantly for this season, it is simply to take pleasure in it and push all the best way in every race. The street season did not go 100% to plan, so I wish to take every race because it comes.”
Bäckstedt’s street season won’t have gone in response to plan however she had a powerful finish of the season with a stage victory on the Simac Women Tour the place she led the general classification for the primary three levels. She ended ending third total behind Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) and Franziska Koch (dsm-firmenich PostNL).
“The tip of my street season was higher than anticipated,” Bäckstedt stated. “It excites me for the cyclocross season, realizing I’ve some good type for the primary races. I simply have to dial within the technical features, and I am able to go.”
Bäckstedt might be working with Canyon-SRAM’s newly-hired cyclocross director Geert Wellens within the first 5 scheduled races of her season; Lokeren X²O Trophee, Merksplas Superprestige, Hamme X²O Trophee, Antwerpen World Cup and the Dublin World Cup, and the remainder of her races might be introduced at a later date.
“I labored with Geert for two.5 years when transferring from juniors to the elite class. I all the time liked how he approached teaching classes and made them enjoyable. Geert’s information is like no different, and I discover this helpful after I’m at a cyclo-cross race. Having one of the best help pre-, throughout, and post-race helps me keep centered and assured going into every race,” Bäckstedt stated.
Bäckstedt and Wellens labored collectively when she was racing for Acrog-Tormans workforce within the under-19 class. Final yr, Bäckstedt had an impressive season with 5 victories that included U23 titles on the UEC European Cyclocross Championships and the UCI Cyclocross World Championships.
Wellens goals to work with Bäckstedt on sustaining stability, motivation and race-day mindset throughout the cyclocross season, whereas additionally engaged on approach and particular abilities on the programs that she might be racing.
“We’ll see Zoe’s degree within the first races. It is essential to take the season step-by-step. After all, Zoe’s largest race is the World Championships, however that is the identical for each rider. We goal to start out with an excellent feeling within the first races, then go into the primary World Cups confidently and set our different season objectives,” Wellens stated.
Cyclocross schedule
- November 10, 2024 – Lokeren X²O Trophee
- November 16, 2024 – Merksplas Superprestige
- November 17, 2024 – Hamme X²O Trophee
- November 24, 2024 – Antwerpen World Cup
- December 1, 2024 – Dublin World Cup
