How do you react when you're told you'll be racing the Tour de France for the first time? For Britain's Zoe Backstedt, "When you get the phone call to say that you've been selected, it's like, OK, don't scream. You can scream after you've put the phone down."
The 21-year-old beams as she recounts the moment on video call with The Independent, a couple of days before her debut at the biggest race on the calendar. An electric first half of the season, including defending her ***** le at the Baloise Ladies Tour, top-five finishes at Dwars door Vlaanderen and Tour of Flanders, and the clean sweep of British national road and time-trial crowns, means the Welshwoman is full of confidence heading to the start line in Lausanne this weekend.
She still hadn't necessarily expected the call-up and was terrified of "jinxing it". "You don't want to say anything or do anything that could potentially make you not selected. It was basically showing that I was good enough at every time trial I've done this season, just giving it 110 per cent, really proving that I'm good enough to go."
Backstedt's prowess against the clock this year, in particular, has been remarkable, with four wins from five ITTs or prologues and her only defeat a second place in the Tour de Suisse time trial, won by none other than the reigning world champion, Marlen Reusser. Backstedt is also the current under-23 world champion in the discipline and will be among the favourites to take a maiden stage win in the Tour's time trial, a 21km run from Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon on stage four.
She is philosophical about the prospect of pressure on her shoulders, saying: "I'm still young. I've still got years to prove myself as well. For now it's like a focus on everything that you can do, to the best of your ability, really just keeping to myself and trying not to think too much outside of what I need to do on the day. A top 10, a top five, top three, even a win, all of those I think I can still be grateful for and and really be happy with.
#trial #five #really #i 've
The 21-year-old beams as she recounts the moment on video call with The Independent, a couple of days before her debut at the biggest race on the calendar. An electric first half of the season, including defending her ***** le at the Baloise Ladies Tour, top-five finishes at Dwars door Vlaanderen and Tour of Flanders, and the clean sweep of British national road and time-trial crowns, means the Welshwoman is full of confidence heading to the start line in Lausanne this weekend.
She still hadn't necessarily expected the call-up and was terrified of "jinxing it". "You don't want to say anything or do anything that could potentially make you not selected. It was basically showing that I was good enough at every time trial I've done this season, just giving it 110 per cent, really proving that I'm good enough to go."
Backstedt's prowess against the clock this year, in particular, has been remarkable, with four wins from five ITTs or prologues and her only defeat a second place in the Tour de Suisse time trial, won by none other than the reigning world champion, Marlen Reusser. Backstedt is also the current under-23 world champion in the discipline and will be among the favourites to take a maiden stage win in the Tour's time trial, a 21km run from Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon on stage four.
She is philosophical about the prospect of pressure on her shoulders, saying: "I'm still young. I've still got years to prove myself as well. For now it's like a focus on everything that you can do, to the best of your ability, really just keeping to myself and trying not to think too much outside of what I need to do on the day. A top 10, a top five, top three, even a win, all of those I think I can still be grateful for and and really be happy with.
#trial #five #really #i 've
2 months ago
