'It's not quite home, but it's still home' - Zoe Bäcktstedt romps to first elite national time trial victory on Welsh roads

Zoe Bäckstedt took a blistering win in the elite women's time trial at the British National Road Championships in West Wales on Thursday, with an impressive ride on the hilly 27km (16.7-mile) course.

The former junior world and national time trial champion recorded 38:48 for the event, based on Aberaeron on the Welsh west coast – the only rider to break the 39-minute mark.

In the women's under-23 equivalent, Millie Couzens (Fenix-Deceuninck) won comprehensively, with a time that would have put her in the elite top five. She was trailed by Robyn Clay (DAS-Hutchinson) and Maddie Leech (Handsling Alba Development)

Bäckstedt, 20, riding on home roads, enjoyed a significant lead through the first-lap time check and also rode the second lap much quicker than anyone else for a memorable victory.

Silver medallist Anna Henderson (Lidl-Trek), twice a winner of the elite women's national time trial, was the only other rider to come near her with a 39:08. Bronze went to reigning national road race champion Pfeiffer Georgi (Picnic PostNL).

It was a tough outing on a course that was hilly enough that – extrapolated to 150km and more – it would have the vertical gain of a Grand Tour mountains stage.

Rising star Lauren Dickson (Handsling Alba Development) dominated the leaderboard in the early part of the race after a superfast start and a 42:18 finishing time for a long while pinned her as the only rider to break 43 minutes for the Ceredigion course.

With the later riders out on course, including a host of WorldTour stars, Dickson would have known her stint in the hot seat was likely going to come to an end, with a flurry of riders passing through the first check point up to a minute-and-a-half quicker than her.

Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) led the charge, hitting the timer at 12.75km (7.9 miles) in 16:43, with Georgi (Picnic PostNL) not far behind and Anna Morris (unattached) and Josie Nelson (Picnic PostNL) also besting Dickson's time

Morris was the first to beat Dickson with a 40:17, with Georgi coming in shortly afterwards just two seconds quicker to take Morris's lead. But she had barely sat down when Bäckstedt crossed the line with a superb time that made good on the promise of her early time splits – 38:48.

Morris, Georgi and Bäckstedt had all ridden superb second half of the race, but it was Bäckstedt who managed the most negative of negative splits to romp home in championship-winning time.

"It's special win, you couldn't ask for a better start if I'm honest," Bäckstedt said post-race. "I mean, I've got the road race now on Sunday, so we go all in for that again. I think that's just that's the plan I'm here for, and it's quite a good course to me, I think.I'm super happy. "I think it was a little bit unexpected, and Henderson had a really strong day. She was the reigning national champ, so I think I also would've been happy with just podium.

"The course was really hard, but I think I really enjoyed it in the end, I think the hardness of the course with the rolling climbs was just kind of what Wales gives you in terms of roads," she continued. "I had so many people on the sideline shouting my name, even like in my tunnel vision in the middle of the time trial. I could hear people shouting and before the start I also had people shouting for me already, and I'm like, yeah, this is part of being in Wales.

"This is just amazing. It's not quite home, but it's still home, you know? It's still Wales. I still understand a little bit of the language, not a lot. And when I say, a little bit. I mean, a very little bit."

Results

British National Road Championships 2025 - Elite Women's ITT (27km)

1. Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto), 38:48.84
2. Anna Henderson (Lidl-Trek), 19.33s
3. Pfeiffer Georgi (Picnic PostNL), +1:27
4. Anna Morris (unattached), +1:28.58
5. Josie Nelson (Picnic PostNL) +2:45.02
6. Claire Steels (Movistar) +3:10.21
7. Lauren Dickson (Handsling Alba Development) +3:29.77
8. Kate Richardson (Handsling Alba Development) +3:36.28
9. Jess Roberts (Spectra Racing) +4:00.75
10. Alice McWilliam (Hess Cycling) +4:12:32