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On the back of winning U23 silver at the UCI Cyclocross World Championships teenager Zoe Bäckstedt is set to make her pro Classics debut at Opening Weekend later this month.
The 18-year-old won the junior road race and time trial titles at the Worlds last September which was followed by her first senior cyclocross campaign.
Not ready to rest just yet, the EF Education-Tibco-SVB rider will compete in the Classics for the first time on opening weekend with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on February 25 followed a day later by Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.
“I’ve still got form at the moment so there’s no point in taking some time off to then lose my form and gain it all back,” said Bäckstedt. “I want to help out the team in whichever way I can, that’s my whole role, to try and give a result somehow for them.
“I’ve been preparing for cyclocross season so I’ve not really been out and done much recon. I did [a few Classics] as a junior but not loads.”
The Cyclocross Worlds was a successful weekend for the youngster who was part of the Great Britain side who finished second in the mixed team relay and then won a second silver medal in the U23 women’s race behind Shirin van Anrooij.
Despite being over two years younger than Van Anrooij it was Bäckstedt who provided her only challenger holding the home favourite at a handful of seconds in the first half of the race.
The strength and experience of Van Anrooi eventually proved the difference as she clinched the world title 33 seconds ahead of Bäckstedt with third-placed Kristyna Zemanová almost another minute back.
“I tried to hold onto the wheel for as long as possible,” added Bäckstedt. “That was the only realistic way of playing it. I knew that if I went in front of her she would come past me again at some point, she has got that bit more endurance.
“I was impressed by how long I lasted, keeping the gap fairly close for a while until the last lap where I died a little bit. I knew it would be extremely hard to beat her, it would only be if there was a mechanical or something that I would be able to beat her.
“Second is really something. You have to play it so you’ve got something left for the end so you don’t completely die off. I’m pretty happy with how it went today.”
Bäckstedt has won world titles on the road and cyclocross and is set to become another multi-discipline rider combining both seasons.
“The dream for cyclocross – elite world champ would be something pretty cool but I need to see first where cyclocross is in my…
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