Road World Championships 2021 - Zoe Backstedt beats Kaia Schmid to take gold in women’s junior road race
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ByEurosport
Updated 25/09/2021 at 09:57 GMT
"I have no words at all. I can’t believe I've just done that, it’s probably the hardest race I have ever done. I was just trying to keep us moving and keep us away from the group behind. We kept communicating and said keep pushing and sprint it out to the line. We did that. It came down to a sprint and I just had it.”
‘GB! What a team!’ – Backstedt seals sensational gold at World Championships
Zoe Backstedt followed up her silver medal in the time trial by taking gold in the women’s junior road race at the World Championships in Flanders.
The Brit, who turned 17 on Friday, showed her prowess on the road with a brilliant effort to take silver in the time trial.
She proved that was no aberration as she got in a breakaway alongside Kaia Schmid and got the better of the American in a sprint to the line.
Backstedt and Schmid jumped away on the 71km course and had the race to themselves from a long way out.
They were aided by USA and GB team-mates in the chasing group, as the likes of Makayla Macpherson, Flora Perkins and Millie Couzens disrupted the chase - allowing the two leaders to fight out the finish.
Backstedt had the better sprint of the two on paper, so it came as a surprise when Schmid declined to attack on the final couple of climbs up the Wijnpers and St Antoniusberg.
Schmid made her bid with 300 metres to run, but could not shake Backstedt who came through for the win.
It was an emotional moment as her father Magnus Backstedt was on Eurosport commentary and cut an emotional figure.
“It’s tough to hold it together to commentate on a race your daughter is involved in,” Magnus Backstedt said. “It is a super-proud moment, tears running down my face watching this. Wow.”
Following her win, Zoe Backstedt said:
I have no words at all. I can’t believe I've just done that, it’s probably the hardest race I have ever done.
“I was just trying to keep us moving and keep us away from the group behind.
“Once it was about 30 seconds I thought I could hold it.
“We kept communicating and said keep pushing and sprint it out to the line. We did that. It came down to a sprint and I just had it.”
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‘I can’t believe I've just done that’ – Backstedt after sealing gold
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