Zoe Backstedt is World CX Champion

World Cyclocross Championships for Junior Women saw Zoe Backstedt solo to victory with the expected dominant win whilst Ella Maclean Howell was 4th.

Zoe Backstedt is World CX Champion

Photo: UCI_CX (twitter)

World Cyclocross Championships for Junior Women saw Zoe Backstedt solo to victory with the expected dominant win. Second away at the start, as soon as the race hit the climb, Zoe was off on her own while Ella Maclean Howell was in the chase group.

The two Dutch girls managed to gap the rest whilst Ella stayed in the chase group and was 4th across the line in another super performance from her. Zoe meanwhile, was in a class of her own. Her laps as many as 13 seconds faster than her closest rival and the Welsh rider adds the World Cyclocross title to the road one she won last year.

“To be honest, I’m shocked,” the 17-year-old rider said in the flash interview post race. “I had a pretty good season on the road and in cross. I was unlucky with the World Cup and nationals to have covid and missed those but ultimately it made me fight back stronger and it help me put that little bit of extra fire into my race.”

Photo: Thomas van Bracht

Zoe had already decided before the World Championship race to hit the first climb full throttle. “I spoke to my coach before the race and I asked ‘do you think I should attack up the first climb and he was like, ‘if the legs are feeling good, then go for it’.”

“I came into the kink before the climb in second and I just opened up the taps and went as hard as I could go up there. I got to the top and had people from the team saying you have ten seconds, or five seconds, or whatever the gap was and I was like I’m just going to keep going and every lap I made sure I put the effort in up the climb because I knew that was where I could make a difference. On the descent, I stayed in control and made sure I didn’t crash and put everything together for the race, it was a good day.”