"I truly pushed my limits," Zoe Bäckstedt remarked as she relinquished the white jersey, which signifies the top Under 23 rider, during the final day of the UAE Tour. Nevertheless, she found satisfaction in her performance on the challenging ascent of Jebel Hafeet.
Zoe, riding for Canyon-SRAM-zondacrypto, had proudly donned the white jersey since her commendable third-place finish in the first stage of the UAE Tour Women held in Madinat Zayed. Following that achievement, she placed 11th in stage two. However, in the race's concluding test, she lost the classification to Eleonora Ciabocco from Picnic-PostNL, as the course reached its most grueling inclines.
Her performance on that mountainous stretch was noteworthy; Bäckstedt managed to stay with the group of climbers longer than many sprinters, even outpacing some athletes who are primarily known for their climbing prowess. Still, her primary objective was to maintain her lead in the young rider standings, and the day's outcome left her with a hint of disappointment.
"I was eager to see how I could perform, and I wanted to try to keep the white jersey," Bäckstedt explained after the stage, sharing insights with teammates Kasia Niewiadoma and Neve Bradbury.
"Ultimately, I didn’t succeed because there was another under-23 rider who excels in climbing, which wasn’t quite what I had hoped for. Nonetheless, tackling a climb of this magnitude—10 kilometers in 30 degrees Celsius—isn't typically my strength. I tend to perform better in stages like the first one, rather than today’s challenge. Yet, I must say, it turned out to be a good day for me."
Bäckstedt vividly described the effort required for the climb: "It was brutal. The start was deceptively easy, but then it ramped up to full intensity right at the foot of the climb, and it was incredibly tough. There were several attempts to break away from the pack, but we just didn’t have enough wind to create separation today."
On a positive note, it was an excellent week for her team overall. Canyon-SRAM secured the team classification, with all three riders—Niewiadoma, Bäckstedt, and Bradbury—finishing within the top 30 of the general classification.
