Elite World Championships next year? Bäckstedt dominates despite Mistakes, leaving Schreiber and Bentveld behind

Zoe Bäckstedt lived up to her favorite status in the U23 women’s race at the Cyclo-cross World Championships in Liévin. The British rider from Canyon//SRAM successfully defended her title, with Marie Schreiber (SD Worx-Protime) taking silver and Dutch rider Leonie Bentveld claiming bronze.

In the weeks leading up to the race, Bäckstedt faced plenty of questions—why wasn’t she racing in the elite women’s category on Saturday? After all, she was already a U23 world champion last winter and had won the junior title in 2022. But Bäckstedt had no interest in moving up just yet and lined up for the U23 race on Sunday, much to the frustration of Schreiber and Bentveld.

Right from the first lap, Bäckstedt put the pressure on. Schreiber struggled with her start and missed the chance to take advantage of Bäckstedt’s early slip on a slick downhill section. French rider Célia Gery briefly took the lead, but the European champion was quickly caught by Bäckstedt, followed shortly after by Schreiber.

Read more below the video

Bäckstedt feels Schreiber closing in but seals the win

With such a comfortable lead, Bäckstedt could afford to make a few mistakes—even when Schreiber launched an all-or-nothing attack in the third of five laps to try and catch the British rider. A gap of nearly half a minute was cut down to just 12 seconds, but in the fourth lap, Schreiber made a mistake of her own, allowing the gap to grow again.

The lead fluctuated between 25 and 35 seconds, and Bäckstedt continued to make small errors, even in the final lap. There may have been a bit of panic in the British camp, but Schreiber was never able to bring the gap down to a real threat. In the end, only further mistakes could have changed the podium—but that didn’t happen. Bäckstedt took the victory, Schreiber settled for silver, and Bentveld secured the bronze.

Check out the full results below the videos!

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