Few riders have a time trial record like Zoe Bäckstedt’s this season. The Brit, still only 20 years old, has won the last four races against the clock she has competed in, earning herself a national title and a WorldTour victory at the Simac Ladies Tour. Now, if she wins one more, she’ll take home a rainbow jersey.
Bäckstedt will compete in the under-23 time trial on Monday at the UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda, and she’ll do so as one of the favourites.
“That’s the goal,” she said. “I would really love to be able to do that, but you never really know what’s going to happen on a course like this, also with the altitude to think about. I think that’s going to be a big part.”
The under-23 time trial course in Kigali is located at 1,600m above sea level, with two climbs: the Côte de Nyanza (1.5km at 5.8%) and the cobbled Côte de Kimihurura (1.3km at 6.3%), which leads up to the finish line. In total, the route stretches 22.6km and climbs 350m.
“It looks like a fun course, if you ask me, not super technical,” Bäckstedt said. “It should be a reasonable ratio of distance and climbing to what Nationals was, so that’s also quite exciting, just without that really, really, really steep climb that we had to do, thankfully, only one time.
“I’m excited for it, some cobbles at the end – why not throw them in? – that’s going to be also fun. I think it’s going to be hopefully easy to break down. You obviously have the long climb quite early on and then still pushing on the downhill trying to make up time wherever you can. I would say it’s quite a nice distance for me as well.”
Bäckstedt won three road world titles as a junior.
(Image credit: SW Pix)
On Bäckstedt’s last appearance at the Road World Championships in 2022, the Brit did the double in the junior ranks, winning the time trial and defending her road race title from 2021.
She considered entering in the elite category this year, together with Olympic silver medalist Anna Henderson, but decided the 31.2km course was “a little bit outside of my comfort zone”.
“It’s a little bit longer and not what I’m used to,” she said. “I think I’ve got a good shot at the under-23, and I’m still under-23 for this season, so why would I not try and go for it?
“I hope I’m in peak condition. The last weeks of training have been good, so we will only find out on the day.”
Alongside the 20-year-old, national road race champion Millie Couzens will also compete for Great Britian in the under-23 time trial. Bäckstedt has decided to forgo the road race, as the route is “not the one for me,” she said.
The 2025 UCI Road World Championships begin this Sunday 21 September with the elite women’s and men’s time trials. The under-23 time trial will take place on 22 September between 9:35am and 11:45 am UK time.
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