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Her double success on home roads in west Wales capped a memorable 10 days for Backstedt, who had won a sprint stage at the Tour de Suisse Femmes the previous week – her ninth professional victory.

The Canyon-Sram rider’s 15.9 mile (25.6km) time-trial victory in Ceredigion was delivered in sweltering conditions in excess of 30C, with Backstedt noting afterwards, “It was super hard, the heat made it 10 times harder than I think I expected it to be”.

Thankfully, by Sunday’s 79.5 mile (128km) road race, temperatures had dropped, as she left a chasing group to catch and pass early leader Josie Knight before soloing the final 8.6 miles (14km) to win by almost two minutes.

“It was brutal,” reported Backstedt.

“I mean, honestly, it was a blessing in disguise that the weather was a little bit cooler.

“I have to say I was grateful for some true Welsh weather, a little bit of rain in the morning.

“I had a great day on the bike, it was really fun. It’s been an incredible week I have to say.”

Zoe Backstedt in her multi-coloured Canyon/Sram team jersey rides past a large brick buildingImage source, SWPix
Image caption,

Zoe Backstedt turned professional in 2022

If Backstedt does get her wish in a little over a month’s time, she will not be the first member of her family to ride a Tour de France.

Father Magnus rode cycling’s most prestigious Grand Tour seven times between 1998 and 2008 – winning a stage on his own Le Tour debut – so it is no surprise to see both his daughters forging successful careers on two wheels.

“Well, my parents were always into cycling,” reported Backstedt, whose older sister Elynor is a professional with UAE Team ADQ.

“My mum was also British road race champion when she was racing still, it really runs in the family to be a cyclist.

“We always had the choice to go into different sports but everything just led towards cycling and, in the end, I’m so happy that I pursued it.

“I love this sport sometimes – I mean, don’t get me wrong, sometimes it’s awful – but sometimes these days, like yesterday, just make it all worth it.”

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