Zoe Bäckstedt's favourite cyclocross conditions: "Ideal conditions for me are two degrees Celsius, heavy rain, chest-deep mud"

Zoe Bäckstedt is only 19 years old but is a star in the making in every aspect. She is already a consolidated pro within cyclocross and one of the best. She shares some of her thoughts regarding the Dendermonde race, favourite course conditions and the rest of the season.

"Ideal conditions for me are two degrees Celsius, heavy rain, chest-deep mud, and a generally unenthusiastic atmosphere," she told In de Leiderstrui following her maiden World Cup podium in Dendermonde, this only a week after capturing the under-23 European title. "I perform well in the under-23s and I'm happy about that. But I also do well in the elite races at the World Cups. The girls there push me, and I gain a lot of experience. I'm getting better technically and in terms of power, so that's fine."

Lacking an under-23 set of races for female athletes, since last winter - at 18 years old - the Briton has already been racing alongside the Elites. Last winter she was fifth in the under-23 Europeans and second in the World Championships, whilst becoming the elite British national champion. This winter she shows off her nation's colours and has been doing so in tremendous fashion. After her first podium in a Benelux cross at the Nacht van Woerden, in the Dendermonde World Cup she took another step as she blasted throuh the mud-filled course towards a podium behind Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Lucinda Brand only.

This despite feeling ill in the morning of the race and saying she was far from her 100%. "To be honest, maybe even a bit less. I am also very curious to see what is possible at the full 100 percent, especially on tough courses like here in Dendermonde," she states. "The last time I participated here, it was in the juniors category. I won then too. So, I can comfortably say that this course suits me well. I really enjoy racing here, and I only have good memories of it. And even more so after today! From now on, I'll do a rain dance every time we race here. Hopefully, they'll listen and we'll get the same conditions. Otherwise, I'll just hire someone to bring water to the course!"

"I will certainly fight for the World Championships jersey in the U23 category, although I must mention that I will skip the races in Val di Sole and Flamanville," she tells about her upcoming months. As a youngster and still developing pro, she doesn't have the pressure yet to chase the classifications in the cups. Although this looks to be the same situation that both Fem van Empel and Puck Pieterse find themselves in, so it doesn't give her a meaningful advantage over her fellow two youngsters.

It may over the likes of Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Denise Betsema, Manon Bakker, Inge van der Heijden and other riders of similar ability which are chasing classifications. "Before the season, I had set a goal to aim for one podium place in the elite category. So, that goal can be ticked off. I'm very satisfied with how the season has gone so far, though many important goals are yet to come," she concludes.