Zoe Bäckstedt falls short in first cyclocross: "We must stay realistic now"

There was a somber mood in Zoe Bäckstedt’s camp after her first cyclocross race of the season. After a painful crash and a very short build-up to her cyclocross campaign, 27th place in Dendermonde is not an illogical result, according to her coach Geert Wellens (Canyon//SRAM). More than that: this winter is no longer focused on results.

After an amazing road season, which she ended with a world title in the under-23 time trial, expectations were high for Bäckstedt and her team this winter. But in early November, things went painfully wrong. During training, Bäckstedt suffered two small fractures in her hand and wrist due to a crash. She then faced a long and at times difficult rehabilitation.

Long rehabilitation
“That couldn’t have happened at a worse time,” Geert Wellens tells us now. “Before that crash, we had already done a lot of cyclocross training. Very intensive, in the forest of Lichtaart. We saw that she had come out of the summer very well and that she was ready to start cyclocross with the right mindset. She wanted to target the World Cup among the pros. But that literally fell apart.”

“Normally, a wrist fracture sidelines you for three to four weeks; in her case it was six. She was only allowed to train on rollers, which is never good mentally. Once she got the doctor’s 'go', she immediately trained in Lanzarote for eight days. Back home, we wanted to do some more cross training, but only managed it once. She also needed some time to get used to the new cyclocross bikes, which she had never ridden before. Not ideal, of course.”

All in all, Bäckstedt’s delay became longer than expected. “Everything you normally do in a few months, we now have to do in two weeks. Even for a super talent like Zoe, it’s impossible to be at a good level right away. The result in Dendermonde doesn’t lie. There’s mental repair work needed. I had a feeling it was coming, given the preparation. You can keep postponing your season start, but we had to start somewhere.”

Geert Wellens in front of the Canyon//SRAM bus - photo: WielerFlits