01/02/2026
🌈❤️🚴♂️🌈❤️🚴♂️
✍️ ZOE BÄCKSTEDT CLAIMS 7TH AT WORLD CHAMPS IN ELITE DEBUT ✍️
A persistent, powerful ride saw Zoe Bäckstedt take seventh at the 2026 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in her elite debut – a result she was thrilled with.
“I’m really happy with this result. Okay, on paper, it’s not my best ride of the season but after coming from the 3rd row, it’s something I can be proud of!”
Although still eligible for the under-23 category, Zoe made the big decision to step up and race in the separate elite field – a choice made all the more commendable after October’s broken wrist cut her season nearly in half.
Looking back, there’s “not a chance” she’d reverse the category decision, despite passing up the chance for a rainbow-jersey three-peat at U23 level.
“I’m happy I decided to race elite this season, and I’m proud of my result after such a short and chaotic season! It also makes me happy to be able to watch the U23 race tomorrow without the nerves of being on the start line,” Zoe joked.
This year’s Worlds was held just a stone’s throw from the Belgian border in Hulst, a town set in and around a historic star-shaped fortress. The 3.3km course snaked around former defensive embankments, connecting steep climbs and slippery descents to long power straights, energy-sapping steps and moat-crossing pontoons.
The arena-like setting looked primed for a showdown between the orange army, with Dutch favourites Pieterse, Brand and Alvarado all targeting victory on home soil. But in the 36-rider field, there were plenty of others ready to fight for glory.
Read more ➡️ https://wmncycling.com/zoe-backstedt-claims-7th-at-world-champs-in-elite-debut/
📷 Billy Ceusters
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