Bäckstedt and her team announced that her Cyclocross season will begin at 11/10 with the X2O Trophee-Lokeren Rapencross and will include a condensed line-up of races from 11 May to 2 May with multiple double weekend events also featuring the UCI Cyclocross World Cup events. "I'm not going to let that happen," he said.
"This year's World Cup program has been condensed to less than 2.5 months. That means there will be a lot of double days and intense weekends. There hasn't been much full-cyclocross season yet at the elite level, but I'm looking forward to how I progress," Bäckstedt said.
"One of the biggest goals is the World Championships, not far from my home in Belgium, a course where fingers cross and I think it's fun.
"But most importantly, for this season, just enjoy it and push it all the way in each race. The road season didn't go 100% planned, so I want to take each race as it comes."
Bäckstedt's road season may not have gone as planned, but she had a strong end of the season with stage wins on the Simac Ladies Tour she led the overall classification for the first three stages. He finished third overall after Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) and Franziska Koch (dsm-firmenich PostNL).
"The end of my road season was better than I expected," Bäckstedt said. "For the Cyclocross season, it excites me to know that I have some good shape for the first race. I need to dial the technical side and I'm ready to go."
Bäckstedt will work with Canyon-SRAM's newly hired cyclocross Director Geert Wellens to launch the Lokeren X2O Trophy, Merksplas Superprestige, Hamme X2O Trophy, Antwerpen World Cup, Dublin World Cup and the rest of the races will be announced at a later date.
"I worked with Geert for 2.5 years when moving from junior to Elite category. I've always loved how he approached coaching sessions and made them fun. Geert's knowledge is unparalleled, and when I'm in cyclocross racing, I find this informative. With the best support before, during and after the race, you can focus on each race and participate with confidence," says Bäckstedt.
Bäckstedt and Wellens worked together when they were racing for the Acrog-Tormans team in the under-19 category. Last year, Beckstedt had an outstanding season with five victories, including U23 titles at the uec European Cyclocross Championship and the UCI Cyclocross World Championship.
Wellens aims to work with Bäckstedt to maintain balance, motivation and a race-day mindset during the Cyclocross season, and is also working on the techniques and specific skills of the courses she races on.
"You can see Zoe's level in the first race. It is important to advance the season step by step. Of course, Zoe's biggest race is the World Championship, but it's the same for all riders. We are aiming to start with a good feeling in the first race, to enter the first World Cup with confidence and to set goals for the other season," Wellens said.
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