Zoe Backstedt, a 21-year-old cyclist from Wales, secured a silver medal in the time trial event at the Road World Championships in Montreal. While she expressed joy at her achievement, she also felt a tinge of regret for not claiming the gold. Backstedt, who still qualifies for the under-23 category, called the result "incredible" and said she has been smiling ever since crossing the finish line. Backstedt comes from a family deeply rooted in cycling. Her father, Magnus, is a former professional cyclist who won the prestigious Paris-Roubaix race and claimed a stage in the Tour de France before shifting to coaching and broadcasting. Her mother, Megan, was a national champion in Britain and represented both Great Britain and Wales in various competitions. Her older sister, Elynor, is also a professional cyclist who earned back-to-back medals at the Junior Road World Championships in 2018 and 2019. Backstedt initially disliked cycling but developed a passion for it around the age of 10 or 11. She became the youngest ever winner of a women’s elite cycling race in Belgium at 17, taking victory in a cyclo-cross event in Essen. By the age of 20, she had already claimed nine world titles across cyclo-cross, road, and track cycling. In 2021, she won the Junior World Road Race gold in Flanders and added the time-trial crown the following year. In 2025, she triumphed in the world under-23 time trial in Rwanda, finishing one minute and 51 seconds ahead of her closest competitor. Despite her successes, Backstedt faced some setbacks, including missing the 2024 Paris Olympics due to illness and a broken hand and wrist that disrupted her 2025 cyclo-cross season. She returned to racing in January 2026, finishing seventh in the women's elite race at the Cyclo-Cross World Championships in Hulst, Netherlands. She continued to perform strongly, winning a sprint stage at the Tour de Suisse Femmes in June 2026, defending her British Road Championships time-trial title, and claiming her first British road race title in Aberystwyth. She also retained the Baloise Ladies Tour title and placed fourth in the time-trial stage of the Tour de France Femmes in August 2026. In September 2026, Backstedt finished second to 35-year-old Swiss cyclist Marlen Reusser, who successfully defended her elite world time trial crown in Canada. Backstedt expressed pride in her performance, calling the long time trial a significant achievement. She will compete in the road race on Saturday, 26 September, as one of the key riders for Great Britain. Looking ahead, she plans to continue competing in multiple disciplines—time trialing, road racing, and cyclo-cross—and has no intention of specializing in just one.