We had to wait a while, but Zoe Bäckstedt will finally return to the cyclocross field this Sunday. The 21-year-old Brit suffered a serious crash during training at the end of October and was sidelined for a long time, but she is now ready to pin on a race number again.
Bäckstedt hasn’t raced cross this season yet. In her crash, she sustained two small fractures in her hand and wrist. She then faced a lengthy and at times challenging rehabilitation. "The past five to six weeks have been tough, especially because I had to train daily on the indoor trainer," she shared on the website of her team Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto.
"But at the same time, it was extra nice when I could finally ride outside again. Overall, considering everything, I feel pretty fit. The strength in my wrist isn’t as good as before right now, but that’s part of recovering from an injury."
So, we’ll see her back in cross at Dendermonde, but what can we expect from the versatile Brit? "I don’t have high expectations for my first race after the injury. I don’t want to put pressure on myself to achieve something unrealistic. It’s been six long weeks and I just want to race again. Maybe my first races post-injury won’t be great, but just give me some time."
Eight cyclocross races leading to the World Championships
After the Dendermonde World Cup, seven more cross races follow as buildup to the Worlds in Hulst. These are the events in Loenhout (12/28), Baal (1/01), Gullegem (1/03), Zonhoven (1/04), Benidorm (1/18), Maasmechelen (1/24), and Hoogerheide (1/25). It is still unclear whether Bäckstedt will compete in the U23 or elite race at the World Championships.
Bäckstedt, who ended her road season with a stage win at the Simac Ladies Tour and a victory at the U23 time trial World Championships in Rwanda, impressed last cyclocross season. She stood on the World Cup podiums in Dublin, Maasmechelen, and Zonhoven, and in January she claimed the rainbow jersey in the U23 category for the second year in a row.
Zoe Backstedt
