"When we’re here, I’m Maggy. When we’re within four walls and it’s just the two of us, then I’m dad" - Magnus and Zoe Bäckstedt describe working together
Cycling
The Bäckstedt family has a strong sound in the women peloton, not only because of the rising star Zoe Bäckstedt, but also thanks to her dad Magnus, former Paris-Roubaix winner, who is important part of the Canyon//SRAM Racing team as sports director. How does the relationships between the father and daughter work on and off the bike?
"When we’re here, I’m Maggy. When we’re within four walls and it’s just the two of us, then I’m dad," Magnus explains to GCN. "When I’m standing up giving the pre-race briefing, I’m just a sports director and she’s just another rider. It’s good and healthy for us to have that boundary."
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For Zoe, the attitude is very much the same, even if she receives a gentle ribbing from her teammates from time to time in calling her dad by his 'real' name. "Sometimes you kind of forget it’s your dad in the car or the meeting," Zoe says. "You’re just kind of sat there like staring at what you have to do and taking in all the information – there’s so much information he can bring to every single race, even though he did the racing however long ago it was."
The situation gets even more complicated when third Bäckstedt, Elynor, was also racing in De Panne. "It was, I guess, a little bit strange at points, when you see her on another team and you’re working against her," Magnus admits. "But we’ve done this since the girls were tiny. We’ve discussed all the potential scenarios of what can happen and I don’t see there being any problems."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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