Zoe Bäckstedt claimed her first elite British time trial title with a commanding ride in Aberaeron, West Wales, winning by 20 seconds over defending champion Anna Henderson and delivering the kind of performance that cements her place as one of Britain’s brightest young talents.
The 20-year-old was the only rider to break the 39-minute barrier on the tough 27km course, clocking 38:48 at an average speed of 42.7kph. The route featured tight corners, narrow rural roads, and a brutally steep 500m ramp topping out at 15 per cent, the kind of profile that demanded more than just raw power.
“It means so much to win this national title at home, in Wales. Now, for the next year it’s about just trying to do as many races as possible with time trials in them, starting with Baloise and Simac Tours coming up.”
Bäckstedt started third from last, with several top contenders already setting competitive times. She hit the intermediate checkpoint fastest and pushed on to the finish with a blistering second lap that left no doubt about the result. Pfeiffer Georgi set a strong benchmark of 40:15 before Henderson came through in 39:08, but neither could match the Welsh rider’s pace. They were the only three riders to go under 41 minutes.
“The first thing that crossed my mind when I finished was wondering what time Anna Henderson had done and if she’d finished yet, while trying to get some water down me as it was quite a warm day. I was also mostly just relieved that I’d finished.”
Photo Credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com Already a junior world and European champion in previous seasons, Bäckstedt has been steadily building towards a moment like this. Racing on roads not far from her hometown, the home support was impossible to ignore.
“Everything went to plan today. It all ran super smooth and everything was just perfect, so that made the actual effort feel a little bit easier. The course was quite tricky, and there was a technical downhill that we had to do twice, along with some sharp corners and other features like this. This made the time trial a little bit more tiring on the mind but all in all, it was still a perfect day.”
She will now turn her attention to Sunday’s road race, where she’ll be joined by fellow Welsh rider Awen Roberts of Canyon SRAM zondacrypto Generation. The 130km contest features two technical circuits and 1900m of climbing, likely favouring aggressive riders from the outset.
“I think for the road race on Sunday, this result makes me more motivated – a little bit of pressure is also off knowing that the week started so well. I can just go out full gas and have some fun, but at the same time I also don’t really know what to expect. It’s just going to be a ‘see-what-happens-and-go-for-it’ type of race, hopefully all the way into the final.”
Among the early starters, Lauren Dickson of Handsling Alba Development held the lead for a long stretch after clocking 42:18, but a flurry of late starters eventually overhauled her time. Josie Nelson, Anna Morris and Georgi each traded fastest times at the line before Bäckstedt delivered the only negative split of the day to secure the title.
In the under-23 race, Millie Couzens from Fenix-Deceuninck dominated the field with a time of 40:54. Her performance would have been enough for a top-five finish in the elite category. Robyn Clay and Madelaine Leech completed the podium, both finishing inside 42:03 despite a hard week of racing and recovery.
“I’m super happy. I think it was a little bit unexpected, I was up against Anna Henderson who’s the reigning national champion, so I think I would’ve just been happy with a podium finish,” Bäckstedt said post-race. “This event, it’s not quite home, but it’s still home – it’s still Wales. It’s super nice to be here. There were a lot of people cheering me on. Some marshalls on the course at the start shouted my name, and I’m like, I’ve not even started, and they’re already cheering me on, I really love that feeling.”
Photo Credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com2025 National Time Trial Championships result
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2025 National U23 Time Trial Championships result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Canyon SRAM
