Among Magnus Backstedt's upcoming responsibilities is the sports director position at Canyon-SRAM. The Swedish former rider decided to jump back into the sports field after his daughters, Elynor (Trek-Segafredo) and Zoe Backstedt (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB), became self-sufficient and established a career in cycling.
"Now that my two daughters can take care of themselves, I thought it was time to become active again myself as a sports director in cycling, my greatest passion. When manager Ronny Lauke contacted me, it clicked immediately. We thought the same about many things. When I saw how the team worked, I knew immediately that I would be in place," said Backstedt.
It has already been a great year for the team, but Backstedt wants to go one step further and improve the stats even more. "The team already has a strong base with good riders. I hope to help them improve in some areas. I approach the race calmly but also directly. I hope I can convey my passion and eye for detail to the riders. I see that everyone supports each other 100%," he says.
For the time being, he is mainly concerned with adding more victories. "I want to win more races with the team and have fun doing so. But I can't go into details yet, as preparations for next season are still in full swing," Backstedt explains.
GM and Sports Director Ronny Lauke is extremely pleased with his new hire. "We are happy that Bäckstedt is joining us to guide the team athletically. He brings with him a lot of experience and knowledge from different perspectives on the sport. This combined with his empathy and passion, we are convinced that he can help get the best out of our team," concluded Lauke.
We're thrilled to announce that Magnus Bäckstedt will join the team as lead Sport Director from 2023. “It's exciting times for women's cycling, and being part of that makes me happy and proud,” @Maggy_PR. Welcome, Maggy! Read more: wmncycling.com/maggy/ #TakeTheLead
