After dominating time trial at the UCI Road World Championships Under 23 women category, Zoe Bäckstedt admits she was nerveous about the challenge before riding her way to snatch her first U23 women’s time trial title in Kigali on Monday, September 22. The 20-year-old Briton overtook Luxembourg’s Nina Berton Schreiber, who had started three minutes ahead of her, to seal her first U23 world title on Monday, September 22, with a time of 30 minutes and 56 seconds. Bäckstedt finished one minute and 51 seconds ahead of Slovakian Victoria Chladonova, who took silver, while Italy’s Federica Venturelli completed the podium with a bronze. I feel like I coped with [the pressure] OK. I was nervous before the start and I think that's natural in one of these championship events. I just did some pre-race rituals like I always do before a time trial to keep my head happy, Bäckstedt said after her victory in Kigali. Those two climbs we had to do just zapped your legs completely, but I have to say it was quite fun on the downhill to go super quick. I'm looking forward to seeing what my maximum speed was on that one.” Hearing that I was only up by 16 seconds at the first time check, I thought 'OK, it's possible to lose that on the last climb', but I just kept pushing as hard as I could on that second between the two climbs and then on the last part I was chasing the rider in front of me and hoping to catch her by the finish. » “It means a lot, also to be able to do it in both categories. Hopefully, next time I can try out for the elites, she added. Rwandan debutant Martha Ntakirutimana placed 27th, finishing five minutes and 31 seconds behind Bäckstedt.
