On a challenging day at a brutally muddy Gullegem course, Crelan-Corendon's Manon Bakker looked good, eventually coming home in second place. After the race, she revealed she had thoroughly enjoyed the action.
“It was tough, but also a super fun battle with Zoe Backstedt and Inge van der Heijden,” said Bakker in her post-race interview. “At the beginning, I thought: I really like the last part. I tried there too, but Zoe is so strong. She drove away from us on the asphalt. I actually hoped that Inge would close the gap on the straight because I know she is a little better at that. But we couldn't get to it anymore. I think she is the deserved winner.”
Eventually finishing just over 30 seconds behind Backstedt, Bakker and her teammate were left to battle it out for second spot. “I was actually a bit too slow to react. I really should have known, because Zoe does it all the time. I often call it the 'Zoe attack', destroying everyone on the straights of the road. I was too late. I gambled on Inge, but it didn't work," Bakker reflects.
"Then I made a mistake myself, which made it even more exciting for second place. But luckily I was better in the end," she concludes. "When I made that mistake, I thought shit for a moment. I rode into the barriers there, because you had to drive close to the edge. I thought: oh, here I go… Then Inge overtook me. I actually wanted to be in the lead on the last bit, but on the bridge down I was able to overtake her again.”
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Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- So far, a good series about riders before my time, even if the text feels AI generated like so much on this site. About the rider, he seems like one of many who are active fan favorites but don’t survive in the stories of cycling, a few decades later - I didn’t really know anything about him and this was a good read, thank you!RidesHills15-11-2026
- A calm, honest documentary, a bit of hagiography but mostly not too much. When he talks about a coffee shop, it aligns with several things in his world - he might want calm, but he does (more than a little bit) have someone near him (his fiancee) who makes sure that things happen the way he expects. Many atheletes have retired only to find out just how much others were taking care of their lives for them. If they work out (I'm old, things happen), I am sure it will take a renegotiation, which is a good thing. I truly enjoyed watching it, seeing him, seeing her, seeing the whole system built around him.RidesHills15-11-2026
- You do? My mother grew up around Bleiburg (Pliberk), across the border in Austria . My grandparents lived close to the train station in Bleiburg, and I spent a lot of the 70s and 80s there. The "Jugo" train of my youth went to Dravograd or Maribor, exotic places (behind the wall) at the time. What a moment that was, the 10 days war of '91 - times sure have changed.RidesHills15-11-2026
- I hope he rides a bitmij15-11-2026
- Greatest athlete this world has ever produced ! LOL ... you definitely are a comdian ! Cycling is so sprecialized and you think he's the greatest athlete ever ! Still laughing !frieders315-11-2026
- b.s. headline. Jonas wasn't told anything, it is just a pundit telling him what to do. the actual article is not even close to the insinuation of the headline.mij15-11-2026
- I think Roglic could have beaten Sepp. not Jonas. I was referring to Sepp.mij15-11-2026
- I'm deeply sick of this guy and his unwillingness to race seriously for more than a month or two. I'll never respect riders who do that. Seixas will be stronger than him next season, and maybe Del Toro as well. I don't even think he'll finish on the podium at any GT where Pogi, Seixas, and Del Toro are racing.megasmacky15-11-2026
- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
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Zoe Backstedt @Backstedt_Zoe vence de forma convincente na lama de Gullegem. 🇬🇧 Zoe Backstedt é 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 em Gullegem! A Campeã Britânica de 19 anos chegou à frente de Manon Bakker e Inge van der Heijden #Hexiacross #Gullegem
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