Zoe Bäckstedt will remain with Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto until the end of 2028 after agreeing a new two-year contract extension with the Women’s WorldTour team.
The 21-year-old has become one of the most distinctive young talents in the peloton across both road and cyclo-cross, and the deal underlines the team’s intention to keep building around a rider whose development curve is still rising fast.
Bäckstedt said the decision was shaped as much by environment as results, describing Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto as “professional but also like a second family”, and highlighting the importance of being able to pursue a combined road and cyclo-cross programme.
A rider who has already turned promise into results
Zoe Bäckstedt joined the squad towards the end of 2023 and immediately looked at home in stage racing, taking the young rider classification at the Simac Ladies Tour in her first outing with the team. That race has since become a recurring marker of her progress, with three straight youth classifications and two time trial stage wins at WorldTour level.
On the road, the most obvious strand of her palmarès is her time trialling. The team points to a run of six consecutive time trial wins dating back to June 2025, beginning with the British National Elite title and including the under-23 world championship crown later that season. She has continued that rhythm into 2026 with another victory against the clock already on the board.
Away from the road, her winter remains a key pillar rather than a side project. During her time with Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto she has won two under-23 cyclo-cross world titles and added multiple elite World Cup podiums, a combination that keeps her competitive sharpness ticking when many riders step back.
Photo Credit: Getty“She loves the chaos of the northern classics”
Rolf Aldag, Director of Sport at Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto, framed the renewal as a “logical step” for a team that wants to show long-term commitment to its riders, while also pointing to what makes Bäckstedt unusually well suited to the toughest northern one-day races.
He highlighted her power, her motivation and her personality within the group, but it was the way he described her relationship with the classics that stood out. Aldag said Bäckstedt “loves the fight for position, the cobbles, and the bad weather”, and suggested that enjoyment of that pressure is a separating factor even among riders who can perform well in the same races.
That trait has been increasingly visible in her recent WorldTour one-day performances, with Bäckstedt posting her best results to date and delivering a top five at the Ronde van Vlaanderen, a ride that read like a statement of intent as much as a number on a results sheet.
What comes next: time trials, the cobbles, and a wider ceiling
The team’s view is that Bäckstedt’s next gains should come both physically and tactically, and that the key is giving her space to make mistakes without the weight of unrealistic expectations. Aldag described confidence and backing as the most important support the team can provide as she moves from “high potential” to genuine leadership in major races.
For Bäckstedt, the targets remain familiar but ambitious. She spoke about wanting more rainbow jerseys, helping the team win one-day and stage races, and keeping the balance of high performance with enjoyment.
With ten career wins already, including a fresh success at the Vuelta a Extremadura Femenina in March 2026, the extension feels less like a reward for what she has done, and more like a wager on what she is about to become.
