Zoe Bäckstedt survives 'a little bit of panic' to win under-23 cyclo-cross world title

A shaky start and a late slip couldn’t stop Zoe Bäckstedt from winning her second consecutive under-23 title at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships on Sunday.

The 20-year-old fell twice around the course in Liévin, France, first on the opening lap and again in the final lap, but still won by a comfortable 39 seconds ahead of Luxembourg’s Marie Schreiber.

The victory meant the Welshwoman became the first Brit to win two rainbow jerseys in the event since Evie Richards, now a world champion mountain biker, in 2018.

“The first lap wasn’t so smooth for me,” Bäckstedt said after the race, explaining that course had become more slippery since her recon.

“I think maybe there was a little bit of panic, but also maybe just the adrenaline from the start of World Championships. I just slipped on one of the corners, wiped out and was a little bit further behind,” she said.

After rejoining the front of the race, the 20-year-old then pulled away and stretched out an advantage over her rivals. A slip on the final lap let Schreiber back to within 20 seconds of the lead, but again Bäckstedt grew out her buffer, eventually winning by 39 seconds.

“There were a few times where I could see that [Schreiber] was coming back a little bit,” Bäckstedt said. “Also on the finish straight, I looked at the TV screen to see where she was on the climb, but there were a few sections where I could really put some power down and focus on my strength, and then I was able to bring the gap back out.”

The victory capped a strong winter campaign for the 20-year-old, who scored three elite UCI World Cup podium finishes, and won the competition’s under-23 category overall.

Ranked as the fourth best cyclo-cross rider in the world, some questioned if Bäckstedt might compete in the elite category at the World Championships, but she decided it was still “too early” for her to step up.

“I have my whole career to race elite,” she said ahead of the championships. “Once I move up, I can’t go back. So if that means staying in under-23 this year and next year to hold onto the category for a little longer, then so be it.”

The Welshwoman's under-23 title brought her second rainbow jersey of the weekend, after she helped lead Great Britain to victory in the mixed relay on Friday.

The team of Bäckstedt, Cat Ferguson, Thomas Mein, Oscar Amey, Zoe Roche and Milo Wills won by just two seconds ahead of the Italian sextet to claim the nation’s first ever title in the event, first introduced in 2022.