Zoe Bäckstedt out of British National Cyclocross Championships following Covid positive

Zoe Bäckstedt has been forced to miss the British National Cyclocross Championships this weekend after testing positive for Covid-19.

The 17-year-old would have been one of the favourites on the start line in both the U23 and elite women's categories for the competition in Crawley, West Sussex, but will now isolate at home with her family, who have all tested positive too.

 “I just wanted to let you know that unfortunately after returning from my race in Belgium earlier this week, I was tested positive for COVID-19," Bäckstedt wrote on social media.

"I am so grateful that I feel good right now and I am fortunate to be able to isolate myself at home with my family, who unfortunately have all tested positive too."

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Bäckstedt is unbeaten so far this season in the junior cyclocross category, including taking the European junior title, while also finding her feet in elite fields, registering top 20 finishes in various races including UCI World Cup rounds.

“I was really looking forward to competing and I was in the best shape possible, fully prepared," she continued. "Now I'm going into quarantine according to protocols and I will do everything I can to race again as soon as possible."

Another big name missing from the start list of the British National Cyclocross Championships will be Tom Pidcock, the two-time defending champion, who will instead be at a training camp with his road team Ineos Grenadiers in Mallorca.

Pidcock will return to cyclocross on January 22 at X2O Badkamers Trofee Flandriencross before the UCI World Cup round in Hoogerheide the next day.

Those two races will be warm-ups for the UCI Cyclocross World Championships a week later in Fayetteville, United States. With Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert absent from the start list, Pidcock is one of the top favourites to take the rainbow jersey.