Human Powered Health have appointed Magnus Backstedt as head sports director, a hire aligned to the team’s renewed two-year title partnership and its push to become a top-ranked squad by 2028. The 2004 Paris-Roubaix winner arrives with a 16-year pro career and recent directing roles at Canyon SRAM and Cofidis Women, bringing a clear brief to raise standards across classics, stage racing and daily operations.
“This is a growing project, and that is what excites me,” Backstedt said. “Now is the perfect time for me to come in and help guide the team towards where it wants to be.”
Why Backstedt, why now
General manager Ro De Jonckere framed the move as the first stride in the next phase of the project. “We are proud to have Magnus join our team. He brings huge experience, both as a former champion and as a proven leader in women’s teams at the top of the sport. With the renewed support of Human Powered Health, we move towards our goal of becoming a top-ranked team by 2028. Magnus’s experience and passion for the sport will be a key element in helping us to raise the level of our team.”
Backstedt has spent 2025 directing at Cofidis after a successful stint at Canyon SRAM, where his day-to-day work focused on developing riders and sharpening race craft. The combination of rider development, tactical depth and experience in high-pressure classics campaigns aligns with Human Powered Health’s stated ambitions.
The brief for 2026
Backstedt will work closely with performance manager Kenny Latomme, a relationship that began when the pair took the UCI director course together in 2022. “I’ve always kept a close eye on the team since that point,” Backstedt said. “When Kenny said that he wants the team aiming for the top five in the world ranking, he had me hooked.”
Immediate touchpoints include:
- Integrating coaching, performance and sporting direction at the Human Powered Health Performance Lab in Wellesley, MA, where Backstedt will join in October for pre-season screening.
- Building repeatable race processes for classics blocks and stage races, with clear roles and post-race feedback loops.
- Advancing rider development pathways so younger athletes can step into results without losing team structure on race day.
“It’s a key part of the team and I’m excited to see what happens at the lab, how they go about their work and how we can draw upon their experience and expertise,” Backstedt added. “This way we can package everything into raising the performance and abilities of the team. It’s really exciting to have this facility.”
What he brings on the road
Backstedt’s experience as a rider and director covers the full season, but the classics remain a natural fit. “I always love the Classics,” he said. “It’s the part of the year that’s most difficult to get right. It challenges you to get everything as close to perfect as possible. I enjoy stage races too, of course, and going to the big three tours with clear GC objectives excites me.”
De Jonckere underlined the expectation around that blend. “Magnus has a deep tactical understanding and experience in growing athletes to reach their full potential. In our conversations with Magnus, it was clear straight away that we are aligned in vision and values. We are very much looking forward to a great collaboration.”
