Cyclo-cross: the rise of Backstedt and Haverdings

At 17 years old, Zoe Backstedt and David Haverdings rule the Junior world, with three victories in as many UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup events in their categories so far this season.

“I definitely didn’t imagine I would win so many races”, Haverdings (ZZPR.nl-Orange Babies Cycling Team) says. The beginning of 2022 already saw the young Dutchman clinch his 13th and 14th victories of the season, with the Junior rounds of the X2O Trofee in Baal (GP Sven Nys) and Herentals (Belgium).

“My goal was to be good in the World Cups and Championships, to win a race here and there…” He now wants to “keep going for more victories, but you never know, of course”.

Following her victory in the Junior road race of the 2021 UCI Road World Championships, Backstedt wanted to “win the overall of the Junior UCI World Cup”. She has also impressed in Elite events, with top 30s in UCI World Cup Elite races and a victory in Ethias Cross Essen, Belgium. Junior races will feature on the final two UCI World Cup rounds of the season in Flamanville (FRA) on 16 January and Hoogerheide (NED) on 23 January.

The young Welsh rider is chasing another rainbow in the 2022 Walmart UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships: “I had everything nailed for the Worlds last year in Belgium, I was in perfect condition and in my head I could see the podium. And then it was cancelled, I was devastated. All of my frustration has been put into this year’s Worlds, so we’ll see how it goes.”

Haverdings will also fly to Fayetteville (USA) at the end of January with ambitions high. “It’s the biggest goal of the season,” he says.

The Dutch rider, who cites Mathieu Van der Poel as an example, and the Briton, hailing from a renowned cycling family, tell us more about their paths.

Backstedt: "I want to focus on cyclo-cross mostly"

“I was about eight years old when I discovered cyclo-cross. There was a local race that my club at the time was putting on. I went there and just rode around in the mud for a bit. It took me a couple of years to really get into it, but when I was 14 or 15, I started doing a lot of the National Trophy Series. I was performing at some of them, so the next year we did a couple more of them, and then I managed to get a trip to Belgium, and I absolutely fell in love with the sport. The atmosphere of a Belgian cross race, it’s just incredible.

“I want to focus on cyclo-cross mostly, but I also want to focus on the road and getting UCI Women’s WorldTour races done. I really think it’s good for my development as a cross rider. You look at the likes of Shirin van Anrooij [Under-23 Dutch rider], who won in Gullegem [Hexia Cross in Belgium], she’s done one season on the WorldTour and her level has just gone up so much.

“It also means a lot to race in the Elite UCI World Cups and other events like that. I get to learn a lot from the other riders. I spent a couple of races battling with Sanne Cant [207-2019 UCI World Champion] and just watching how she rides, how she takes the course, how she takes different lines on different laps depending on how the conditions have changed… Everything like that, you really learn a lot and it’s been really really beneficial for me for the latest part of my season, to have been able to follow her through some of the races and have been battling with her. It just brings my experience and my skills up a lot.”

Haverdings: "Tábor was very special"

“I started cyclo-cross four or five years ago, and before that I always did BMX. I also ride on the road and I’ve been doing mountain biking for two or three years. I like doing different kinds of disciplines. That makes it more fun. At the end of the cyclo-cross season, you can look forward to the mountain bike and road seasons, and then it's the other way around. That’s very nice.

“Mathieu Van der Poel is an inspiration, of course! And Pim Ronhaar as well. He's a great example of how to step up in the mountain bike, cyclo-cross, and also on the road. Now, cyclo-cross and mountain bike are where I'm at my best. I need to improve more on the road, but it will be fine, I guess.

“This is my first real cyclo-cross season at international level. The UCI World Cup in Namur [Belgium] was a very nice one, but the most special was in Tábor [Czech Republic] I think. It was my first UCI World Cup, and it was a week after the disappointment of the European Championships [he finished 2nd behind Belgium's Aaron Dockx, in the Netherlands]. I liked the course very much. It suited me well. Before the start, I was motivated to give it my best and to go for the win. I felt very good in the race. I waited a bit, and in the last lap I got a gap. At the end, it was just about enjoying myself with the crowd. It was very special.”