Zoe Bäckstedt will finally begin her 2025/26 cyclo-cross campaign later this month, after a wrist injury forced a significant delay to what was meant to be a carefully planned winter.
The reigning two-time U23 Cyclo-cross World Champion fractured her wrist in a training crash on 1 November, just two weeks before her originally scheduled season debut. The incident abruptly halted her off-road preparations and confined her to indoor training for more than a month, a frustrating period for a rider who traditionally builds form through racing rather than prolonged time on the turbo.
Medically cleared to return to outdoor riding on 9 December, Bäckstedt travelled to Lanzarote to complete a controlled block of road training before reintroducing cyclo-cross-specific work.
A delayed return, but steady progress
While the timing of the injury was far from ideal, Bäckstedt has approached the interruption with perspective. Speaking about the weeks spent indoors, she admitted the mental challenge outweighed the physical one, but also noted the motivation it created once she was able to ride outside again.
She returned to the cyclo-cross bike one week before her rescheduled comeback race and reported no issues, easing any lingering concerns about wrist stability ahead of competition.
Her revised season will now begin at Round 8 of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Dendermonde on 28 December, marking her first race of the winter and a key checkpoint in assessing form after six weeks away from racing.
Managing expectations in Dendermonde
Bäckstedt has been clear that immediate results are not the priority. After watching much of the early season unfold from the sidelines, her focus is simply on racing again rather than chasing outcomes that may not yet be realistic.
The Welsh rider has stressed the importance of allowing time to rebuild race sharpness, acknowledging that the first few outings may be about rhythm rather than results. With a dense block of races ahead, patience will be central to her approach.
A demanding festive block awaits
The revised calendar leaves little room for easing back in. Following Dendermonde, Bäckstedt will contest seven races in just over four weeks, including five events packed into an intense eight-day festive period.
That sequence includes X2O Trofee rounds in Loenhout and Baal, Superprestige Gullegem, and the World Cup in Zonhoven, before a short pause ahead of the final World Cup block in Benidorm, Maasmechelen, and Hoogerheide.
Provided recovery and form continue to trend in the right direction, the season is expected to culminate at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Hulst at the end of January.
Photo Credit: GettyBuilding on last winter’s breakthrough
Even with a truncated season, Bäckstedt still has the opportunity to reconnect with courses that defined her breakthrough winter. During the 2024/25 campaign, she claimed three elite World Cup podiums and successfully defended her U23 world title, underlining her growing competitiveness at the highest level.
Zonhoven and Maasmechelen stand out in particular. Both delivered second-place finishes last season, with contrasting emotions attached. One represented one of her strongest performances of the year, while the other was shaped by late-race misfortune and a costly bike change.
Returning to those venues offers both motivation and unfinished business, even if the overall ambitions for this winter are tempered by the delayed start.
Zoe Bäckstedt’s revised 2025/26 cyclo-cross calendar
- 28 December: Round 8, UCI World Cup Dendermonde (BEL)
- 29 December: X2O Trofee Azencross Loenhout (BEL)
- 1 January: X2O Trofee Baal – GP Sven Nys (BEL)
- 3 January: Superprestige Gullegem (BEL)
- 4 January: Round 9, UCI World Cup Zonhoven (BEL)
- 18 January: Round 10, UCI World Cup Benidorm (ESP)
- 24 January: Round 11, UCI World Cup Maasmechelen (BEL)
- 25 January: Round 12, UCI World Cup Hoogerheide (NED)
- 30-31 January: UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships, Hulst (NED) – TBC
With fitness returning and expectations carefully managed, Bäckstedt’s winter may look different to previous seasons, but the foundations remain firmly in place for another step forward at elite level.
