Zoe Bäckstedt sprinted to second place at today’s Antwerp Port Epic with CANYON//SRAM Generation.

Zoe launched a blistering attack with 30km remaining and rode aggressively to stay away until the final 6km. In the final sprint from a group of nine riders, Zoe rode smartly, launching her sprint in the final 100m to take second place. The UCI 1.1 race was won by Lara Gillespie (UAE). The second place is Zoe’s best individual result in a UCI race, outside of winning the youth classification at Simac Ladies Tour in 2023.

RIDER REACTIONS

Zoe Bäckstedt: “Today was really fun. I love this race. It’s probably one of the best races on the calendar for me, with a lot of gravel, cobbles and hard sections—everything I love to do. There was a Ceratizit rider who attacked into one corner, and I followed her, and then I thought, okay, this is it, this is the moment to go. I’ll go and see what happens. I’m happy with that attack.

When I was away, I kept pushing and fighting. It could come down to five seconds, but it could also go back to 30 seconds—who knows? I just focused on riding hard and pushing where I could.

After I was caught with about 7km to go, there were a few teams with two riders in it, so they kept attacking and making the others chase. That wasn’t so great for my legs, but I kept fighting. 

It was a completely new experience to be in that situation in a final, going for the win from a small group, and I’m happy to have had it. I could have been better positioned in the sprint. With 1km to go, I was about fifth or sixth and had to make up some places in the final kilometre. I could see the line coming quickly, but everything was going in slow motion! I started my sprint seated because my legs were so tired. It’s the best position I’ve been in for any final, so I must be happy with today.”

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