Published May 14, 2022 05:21AM
Zoe Bäckstedt signs for EF Education-TIBCO-SVB as a stagiaire
The highly talented 17-year-old will link up with her new team in August.
LEUVEN, BELGIUM - SEPTEMBER 25: Zoe Backstedt of The United Kingdom (R) celebrates at finish line as race winner ahead of Kaia Schmid of The United States (L) during the 94th UCI Road World Championships 2021 - Women Junior Road Race a 75,2km race from Leuven to Leuven / #flanders2021 / on September 25, 2021 in Leuven, Belgium. (Photo by Luc Claessen/Getty Images)
Zoe Bäckstedt has signed as a stagiaire for EF Education-TIBCO-SVB and will link up with the American team at the start of August.
The 17-year-old, and current road and cyclocross junior women’s world champion, currently races for Belgian based cyclo-cross development team Acrog-Tormans.
“I’m so excited to be joining Women’s WorldTour team EF Education-TIBCO-SVB as a trainee and I can’t wait to start racing for them later this year. I love their multi-discipline approach to cycling,” Bäckstedt said in a press released issued by her future squad.
“Plus I’m looking forward to wearing the best kit in the peloton,” she added.
Linda Jackson, founder of the team, added her excitement to the announcement and added that her focus, and that of the team, was to help support Bäckstedt develop into the higher ranks of the sport.
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“As the current Junior World Champion in both road and cyclocross, Zoe is clearly very talented. Our goal is to support her overall development and nurture her growing talent. I am so excited at the prospect of what we are going to achieve together,” Jackson said.
Bäckstedt has already enjoyed a successful season on the road. She won two stages and the overall at the EPZ Omloop van Borsele in April, and then finished ninth in GC at theTour du Gévaudan Occitanie femmes. As well as enjoying a stellar year in cyclo-cross, Bäckstedt also picked up gold medals in the team pursuit, individual pursuit, and Madison at the 2021 European junior track championships.
Bäckstedt’s older sister, Elynor, is currently on the books at Trek-Segafredo. Her mother, Megan Hughes, is a former British national road race champion, while her father, Magnus Bäckstedt, won Paris-Roubaix in 2004, and a stage of the Tour de France in 1998.