One of the most exciting talents in the women's peloton, Zoe Bäckstedt, has joined Canyon-SRAM in a mid-season transfer.
The British 18-year-old joined EF Education-TIBCO-SVB last August following a dominant junior career in which she was world champion on the track, in cyclo-cross, and also both in the time trial and road races.
It was announced in recent weeks, however, that EF Education-TIBCO-SVB would be folding at the end of the current season, with SVB collapsing in May, TIBCO revealing that they wouldn't continue to back the team, and EF Education's decision to set up their own separate women's team.
That has meant the team's 16 riders have been free to choose new teams, and while some have signed contracts for next season with new outfits, Bäckstedt has made the immediate swap to Canyon-SRAM, a team led by Ronny Lauke.
She will team up her father, Magnus, who was a professional himself. Her sister, Elynor, 21, has ridden for Lidl-Trek since 2020.
Immensely talented, Bäckstedt has been thwarted by injuries this season and raced just 15 UCI days, but that figure does include April's Paris-Roubaix. Her best result is seventh at the recent Tour of Scandinavia in the stage four time trial.
"I’m excited about the opportunities at Canyon-SRAM Racing. I will get to race with a strong squad and have the freedom to race in any discipline I want to as well," Bäckstedt said in a team press release.
"The team has made a lot of developments in the last year, and you can see that on and off the bike. I really like this; it helped my decision as I like to have a good structure around me.
“I believe I will bring to Canyon-SRAM Racing some more good tunes to the pre-race playlist, my love for the sport and just the fact I’m happy to be at a bike race with my teammates.”
>>> Read more: All pro peloton transfers for 2024
Bäckstedt will now start to focus on the upcoming cyclocross season, with her first race the Major Taylor Cross Cup in the USA.
Her former team manager, Linda Jackson, commented: "I am so happy that Zoe found a good home with Canyon-SRAM Racing. Placing Zoe on a new team before the 2023/2024 cyclocross season started was critical to supporting her 2024 World Cyclocross Championships goals.
"While sad about my team’s circumstances that led to this change, I am truly excited to follow her future with Ronny’s team, and I wish her the very best.”
