Zoe Bäckstedt

A multi-discipline phenom who has dominated cyclocross and road racing at every level so far, Zoe Bäckstedt is the proof – in our opinion, at least – that fast is fearless.

Some believe that Zoe’s greatest talent is on the cyclocross bike, however.

The 2023/24 season was her first at elite level, and she managed a nice win in Gullegem, along with top fives at the big World Cups throughout the season. Rubbing shoulders with the likes of fellow super-talents Puck Pieterse and Fem van Empel, we’re expecting Zoe to make another jump in speed next season.

As for the main differences between ‘cross and the road, Zoe says she enjoys the focus required in the winter discipline:

“In cyclocross your heart rate is so high from the start, you’re always kind of out of gas and at your limit. You have to constantly be thinking about how hard you can push it. You’re under pressure because of how tired you are, so you have to really collect yourself and focus on literally just thinking about the lines you’re taking in the corners. It’s about not going so deep that you crash but going hard enough that you can make it through the corners with speed.”

As a very young rider still, it’s no surprise to regularly see Zoe with a big grin on her face at the races. She’s enjoying this gradual upwards progression, and continuing to learn, improve, and express herself on the bike.

“I love the feeling of speed when we’re going on a descent and there is a good flowy corner. You can be going at crazy speeds, but the bike is just taking you downhill. You’re just having fun! I remember one stage at the Vuelta [Femenina] this year. I was in the gruppetto, but we still took the descents so quick, and everyone enjoyed that part because we’d got over the climb and just wanted to have some fun on the downhill. It was so great. And then also stages where you have a super high average speed and you’re like ‘woah, I got to the finish so quickly!’ Everything just goes by so quickly and I really love that.”

It’s clear that, for Zoe, so much of racing is about the pure enjoyment of it – as it should be. Her speed dreams are quite simple, then:

“Racing with a smile on my face, being happy and enjoying the moment. Hearing the crowd as I go past. Hearing people shouting my name. I get so much joy in those moments.”