152. Zoe Bäckstedt: Why I love Sundays in Hell

0:00Robyn: I've been riding with the Hammerhead Karoo for a fair bit now and beyond the slick screen and the 35 hour battery life I'm really getting into the Karoo's climber function. Now what climber does is show you any upcoming climb on a ride whether it's a pre-planned route or not and then when that climb comes up this data page pops up on screen and you get this little climb profile with gradients and color-coded sections for steepness and the distance to the top in length and elevation. so it's amazing for places I've never ridden like on a sportive where you've never ridden the course before but the crew guide you up a climb in this predictive way so you can pace out your effort it's like having a little team ds on your handlebars you can also look ahead at a route and see all the climbs on it so a bit like having a profile sticker on your stem like you see the pros have in races only this way it's way more detailed as you can pick out a climb and look at its specific details as you go.

0:59Robyn: So check out our full review of the Hammerhead crew at cyclist.co.uk and see why we gave it our cyclist recommended award. Then head to hammerhead.io and use the code cyclist to get a free heart rate strap with every purchase. Just be sure to add the strap to your cart then apply the code at checkout.

1:23Robyn: Welcome back to the Cyclist Magazine podcast. I'm your host, James Splendor, and joining me today is Robin Davidson. Robin, how are you? Normally, I've been here on my own quite a lot recently, and that's my own doing. But today, you're here, and today, actually, you're doing the interview with Zoe Baxter. But before we get into that, yeah, how the devil are you? Long time no see in this pod chair?

1:46Zoe Bäckstedt: I know, in this pod chair. It's been forever. I've had better weeks, to be honest. My dog died. but you know i'm looking you know it was nice to have a chat with zoe to be honest it kind of took my mind off everything and made me think about the upcoming classic season which i'm very excited about it's like my favorite time of the year favorite is i mean is the most wonderful time

2:08Robyn: of the year um in many because there's there's just so many races in a way that obviously over the summer's great but then there's kind of periods of of nothing and sometimes you get that feeling with Grand Tour season that it could go either way. You could get an amazing race, or you could get one that's kind of just a little bit of a procession. And then you have to kind of try and be interested. And you've invested three weeks into it.

2:33Zoe Bäckstedt: Three weeks, exactly.

2:34Robyn: Whereas this, pow, pow, pow, one day races kicking off. But of course, we all know who's going to win, right? Pogaccia and Van der Poel, they're going to win everything, aren't they? Well, well, well, well.

2:44Zoe Bäckstedt: I always look for like the little underdogs in classic season because you're right, it's likely going to be some historic showdown between Matthew van der Poel, Tade Pogacar and Tade Pogacar is going to break away from like the 200 kilometer to go mark and whatever. But I've picked out some people, James, who I think could realistically put the cat amongst the pigeons a little bit. The first one, okay, so there's four. Prepare yourself. Okay, yeah. The first one is Ben Healy, who obviously had an impressive 2025. He wore the Meijer-Jean for a little bit. But he has also just re-signed for DF Education Easy Post with the hope of more Grand Tour stages, but also monuments.

3:30Zoe Bäckstedt: And he finished third last year at Liège. So I'm hoping that he can maybe get up to a little bit of mischief with like a breakaway here, a breakaway there. But the issue is now he's such a marked man, But I don't know how realistic that can be.

3:46Robyn: And now you've called him out as one of your top four, then he's even more marked.

3:51Zoe Bäckstedt: And Taddeus Pogaccio is going to be listening to this and be like, yeah. Yeah, Marco Gionetti and Pogaccio, they'll be, yeah,

3:56Robyn: all the UAE staff are tuned in.

3:58Zoe Bäckstedt: Nightmare. But my second one is actually a friend of the pod in Tom Pidcock. I think this is his second year with, I always get the numbers wrong, Pinarello Q36.5, pro cycling. second but Strada Bianchi last season and he's a little bit like Ben Healy for me I feel like he can realistically not go on as long as attackers Ben Healy but he sees a little uphill here a little uphill there and he can cause them problems I think and he can help drive the pace so I'm hoping that potentially he gets another classics win because he has won Amstel and Strada in the past so we'll see we'll see yeah the third one is Matthew Brennan yeah I think particularly because of the season that he just had with like 15 ,000 victories but also he is like a Wout van Aert kind of figure like he can deal with the cobbles he can deal with like the punchy climbs he can deal with the sprint but also there's like a little gap to fill at the beginning of the classics because Wout van Aert was coming off like his sprained ankle ligaments and he was scheduled to be on loop this weekend but now he's got an illness so he's not and I think that potentially you can use this kind of gap to Matty Brennan's advantage I would I'd like to see him do something I think he was very good last season so it's hard to like not immediately want all the success for people we You have to remember they're so young.

5:32Zoe Bäckstedt: These are children. Exactly. So, you know, they can take their time. They can develop. But also the last one is Kat Ferguson, who is also very young, but she's so good on the bike. She won her first race out in Spain this year on the stage at Valenciana. And I just think her trajectory is just going uphill. In a good way. In a good way, yeah. and I'm just really looking forward to seeing what she does, especially on, I think the Movistar team kind of suits her. They have a lot of cards to play in that team and I think she's developing into a really strong one for them. So yeah, those are my four riders to look out for in this past six season.

6:14Robyn: And would you, I'm sure you would also, you know, add a fifth, I guess today.

6:20Zoe Bäckstedt: Oh, absolutely. Yeah, it goes without saying, but yes, absolutely. Zoe Back said, keep an eye on her, ladies and gentlemen, particularly Paris-Roubaix, which we'll get into.

6:31Robyn: Yep. So tell me more about Zoe. I mean, friend of the show in as much as, well, a kind of proxy friend of the show because we have previously spoken to her father and her sister. And now it's her turn in the hot seat. But tell us more. People know the Baxed name. Tell us more about Zoe Baxed. Of course.

6:50Zoe Bäckstedt: Well, Zoe, only 21 years of age, but her Palmares, frankly, across cyclocross track and road is stacked. From junior and under 23 world championships to national and European titles aplenty. Now, as beings were, after the cyclocross campaign has just ended, as per usual, it was at the world championships. But at this time, instead of a possible third consecutive under-23 rainbow jersey, Zoe tried her hand in the elite field and finished a very respectable seventh place. So obviously we talk about cross and all things road as we approach the classic season and you'll find the Canyon SRAM Sonder Crypto rider is raring to go.

7:31Robyn: So without further ado, let us welcome to the show Zoe Baxter.

7:42Zoe Bäckstedt: So welcome to the Cyclist Magazine podcast to the amazing Zoe Baxter, who frankly needs no introduction. So I'll only give a really short one. How are you, Zoe?

7:55James: Thank you for having me, first of all. I'm good. I have to say a little bit tired. I've just been on training camp and today's the last day, so I'm ready to go home now.

8:04Zoe Bäckstedt: Whereabouts are you for your training camp?

8:07James: We're staying in Denia in Spain, just the regular Calpe area that everyone goes to around this time of year.

8:14Zoe Bäckstedt: Nice, nice. How's the training camp been? Has it been like a tough one, a nice one?

8:21James: Well, tough in terms of intervals and training, but nice because I've not worn arm warmers or leg warmers any day for the last 10 days, which is incredible.

8:32Zoe Bäckstedt: I'm not going to lie, I really hate you right now.

8:36James: I thought I might hear that.

8:38Zoe Bäckstedt: That's, oh, honestly, I'm so jealous. But to kick things off, I just wanted to throw a little question out there. And it's basically, how would you describe yourself as a cyclist?

8:49James: That's a very good question. It is a very hard question for me to answer, I think. I don't know 100%. I think I'm still a little bit figuring that out. Okay, I'm a few years into being professional now. But yeah, I've had a few good classics races. a few good Roubaix, a few good sprints here and there. So yeah, I would say more of like a classics rider, like short punchy climbs, you know, and then a bit of a reduced finish. That is hopefully in the future my specialty. But yeah, I'm also a cyclocross rider. I can't forget about that part.

9:25Zoe Bäckstedt: Speaking of cyclopross, I'm speaking to you just after the cyclopross season for everyone listening right now uh it was a shorter cyclocross campaign for you this year I know you had a wrist injury but as you were approaching Dendermond which was your your first race on the calendar what were you sort of hoping to get out of the year um yeah I mean that first race was the worst race I've I think I've ever ridden but we're just going to skip past that okay um yeah

9:54James: for that cross season I think in the end it was just get back into racing and to enjoy it like doing in the end I did five races in in seven days in that yeah that that week around Christmas and New Year's I did a lot of racing and that's the more most I've ever done in a cross season as well like in that period so it was more just seeing how I reacted to such a high volume of racing and like I say having fun on the bike was the main thing and being a little bit cautious with my wrist and making sure that I didn't do anything to harm it for the classic season coming up you know like at that point the cross season is is basically done already so it's focusing on the world cups that were left and then worlds and then pretty much just straight into road season

10:36Zoe Bäckstedt: and i believe your best ever result in a world cup came with that fourth place at hugerhead if i'm right in saying was it not damn it i've been third maybe second i can't remember

10:49James: I've podiumed. You have podiumed. I was second at Zonhoven last year.

10:54Zoe Bäckstedt: You were, you were.

10:56James: Yes, yes. Proved it wrong, sorry.

10:59Zoe Bäckstedt: To the person that's editing this,

11:01James: may you please?

11:02Zoe Bäckstedt: No, keep it in. Make me right. No, you can keep this in. It's fine. Life happens, you know. But what I did want to say was, you had, aside from the wrist injury, you had strong performances heading into that world championships. but instead of going for the under 23 race uh you actually did race in the elite race how did that come about who put it forward was it you i'm willing to bet it was you

11:30James: um well it was something i had in my mind since already the world's last year yeah when you win it twice in a row it's quite a common thing then to yeah also just go up to the elites you know like you've you've won it once you've won it twice even following in the footsteps of Femme, Puk, Shirin yeah why not go up to the elites already early it threw a little bit of a spanner in the works when I crashed because then I was like oh maybe I'm not ready for the elites but if I did the under 23 then there was also a fair amount of pressure on that race and yeah the first part of that season in Dendermonde let's say was not my best races or race but I got more and more into it later in the season two weeks later whatever it was however short my season was and in the end I'm really happy I made the decision to go up to the elites it was like a really good move

12:20Zoe Bäckstedt: from myself and yeah I really enjoyed it yeah what was the part you enjoyed the most

12:28James: yeah the flat parts where you could push basically that was the kind of the only section I mean the course in itself was petrifying I tell you like to go down those downhills at speed was yeah something else but I really it was just a cool race there was a lot of fans on the sideline and

12:46Zoe Bäckstedt: yeah it was just great fun which cyclocross course would you probably say is like your favorite to

12:52James: race at hmm I mean it's changed a lot over the years it's changed from when I was a junior until now I used to like the boxing day cross quite a lot just the course was like quite a powerful course like you need a lot of power to get over it and a lot of running in it as well but yeah also last season I had a good result in mass mechalin and yeah I've come to love that course quite a lot as well a little bit again power course like some short climbs a little bit a classic racing cyclocross you know like it's just uh it's got my name written all over it so for me whenever it is just raining cats and dogs those days are just the most fun doesn't really matter what the circuit is in the end I think but if it's just raining then yeah I have fun.

13:39Zoe Bäckstedt: That is genuinely such a fascinating answer because let me tell you right now if I went anywhere and it was raining cats and dogs I would not be I would not be best pleased. What is it do you just like the chaos?

13:50James: I feel like it's a very British answer like we grow up in the bad weather we grow up in rain in three degrees and just three weeks of rain And yeah, you just learn at some point to accept it and just ride in it. So exactly. Yeah, get on with it. And yeah, then for me in cyclocross, when it turns into a super muddy course, that's where my power is like most well used. So yeah, I find that part just super fun.

14:20Zoe Bäckstedt: And what maybe is the biggest thing that you've taken from this cyclocross period? Like, obviously, the World Championship, stepping up to the elite race, not to put words in your mouth but yeah no I mean yeah the world's was good but like

14:35James: most importantly like I had those few races at the start that were not my best and I was really doubting myself I was really like why am I here I just want to go home like I really don't want to be racing if I'm if I'm not racing for the win you know like that's just where I come from is I want to be racing for for top five top three each race because that's just where I feel like I should be, you know? And then I go into that first race and I was just stiff on the bike. I was a bit scared. I wasn't enjoying it. And normally that course is muddy. And anyway, it was frozen and it was a really strange cyclocross season.

15:09James: But yeah, it just made me think, okay, even though I'm not loving life right now, like just continue pushing through. And then the day after that bad race was actually quite a good race for me. And And I, yeah, I even had a fourth place there, I think. Yeah. So it's like day and like two days apart and I can be doing completely different results. So it's like, sometimes it's fine to have a bad day, but you just have to push through and then you'll come out the other side.

15:37Zoe Bäckstedt: That's beautiful. I love that. End of the podcast. Okay. Bye. Your like drive and your desire, obviously, to be at the top, maybe it's a very simplistic question, but does that come from the environment you were raised in where your parents, obviously exceptional cyclists, your family, brilliant at what they do? Or is it just in you? Is it just naturally in you?

16:03James: Yeah, I don't know. Like, I think it's partially from our family. I mean, okay, we're all very competitive people. We can't play board games together, you know, like with that kind of family that it ends in someone crying, most likely me if I don't win, you know? So yeah, we're very competitive in that sense. But yeah, it's just like our parents have always taught us to believe in ourselves and fight for what you want. So just growing up with that belief and that support to like go for what you want. And they will be there if you have a good day and they'll be there if you have a bad day. Like, yeah, just commit to it fully and whatever happens, happens.

16:42Zoe Bäckstedt: yeah and do you have a favorite memory growing off on the bike that is also a good question i have many good memories you're feeding my ego with those answers i am mostly because i can't

16:55James: because i can't think of my my favorite one you know you have so many yeah please don't do that to me um yeah just so many different ones you know going out training with my sister going out training with my dad, occasionally going out training with my mom. Like that's all just part of my childhood and what makes me now enjoy riding a bike so much. And yeah, being in a pure cycling family, let's say like it's just something else to a regular family in the UK, you know, like just being always watching cycling and everything like this. That's probably just my favorite part, you know, watching every year around Roubaix, my dad's victory race, you know, like that's just part of our traditions.

17:41Zoe Bäckstedt: I was going to say, do you watch that back when it's like close to Roubaix time?

17:45James: Yeah, especially when we were younger. We used to watch it all the time. Now when we're preparing for our own race, it's a little bit, yeah, we don't watch it as much, obviously, because we're not all together. But yeah, it's really, it's fun to watch. And yes, then seeing my dad's like emotion when he's watching the race back, it's really cool.

18:03Zoe Bäckstedt: Oh, that's lovely. I love that. Where is the cobblestone? Is it on the mantelpiece?

18:12James: In the UK. It is on a cupboard, I believe. I don't really know which cupboard. I've not been home in a while, but it's definitely bending a cupboard somewhere. Yeah, like the shelf has got a big dip in the middle of it.

18:26Zoe Bäckstedt: I can't, like, so I went to the first Paris-Roubaix firms and outside the velodrome, There's like a gift shop that sells like mini Roubaix stones and it's cheating, but I got one. And I was like, it's maybe like this big for people that are listening, maybe like 20 centimeters. I don't know. And then I was just thinking if I had like this is fine. But if I had been cycling for about five hours and then you win and you've got to pick up this huge cobblestone at the end of the day. There's no way my arms are doing that anyway.

19:02James: like a learn after a race i mean after paris-roubaix you've got nothing left in your body and then if you win you've got to pick up this cobblestone and i mean the traditional thing is to like lift it above your head and i'm like my arms are shaking like you know when when allison won and uh and i held the cobblestone after i was like oh my god i almost dropped it so uh yeah i think i think she almost dropped it as well quite possibly i mean it's a brutal race and then you've got to pick up this heavy stone. But I mean, that's the dream one day is to be doing that on the top steps. So we keep working towards it.

19:37Zoe Bäckstedt: I love that we've got to Paris-Roy because it's personally one of my favourites on the calendar. And when I say that, I mean, it is my favourite race on the calendar. So coming into the season, obviously you've been 15th at Roubaix, I believe last year, a similar position the year before, huge domestic shifts. what's it like getting to experience that race for yourself because I mean god it's so new and it's crazy that it's new because what a concept women can race on cobbles too but how was it being in in the Roubaix environment if you will yeah I mean it's the holy week you know like it's

20:16James: everything is geared towards that you know you do everything as good as possible I mean for me okay that's also my favorite race of the season. It's the race that I enjoy the most, that I have enough background in, you know, with my dad teaching us and going and riding cobblestones when we were younger and things like this. So the whole week is really just geared towards those final intervals and recovering and doing everything to make sure that your hands are in a good condition. You know, you've got everything prepared with if you're going to tape your fingers, if you're going to tape this, you're going to tape that and what gloves you're going to wear and everything like this, if you want double handlebar tape or you want no handlebar tape, those kinds of things.

20:58James: So it's just making sure that you've got your bike fully prepared, you're fully prepared. And then on race day, keep those nerves calm, as calm as possible. And then, yeah, for me, like the hardest part is coming into that first sector where you know the running, you know what's coming up, and then you hit that first cobblestone. It's normally chaos, it's normally a crash. and then from there on it actually calms down quite a lot. It's like the most hectic part is coming into that first cobble sector and then from there it splits into so many different groups and you're like, okay, now it's like just a reduced bunch.

21:32James: And I love it. I just, I love the race.

21:35Zoe Bäckstedt: Honestly, beautiful. I also wanted to ask as well, I know the race doesn't go through the Arendtberg, but one year, would you like it to?

21:46James: Oof, I mean, I think I would like it to. I don't know if I'm going to regret saying that when it does happen, because I've definitely ridden it before and I definitely did not enjoy it. But I think it's something that is iconic to Roubaix. And I think that it would be a really fun part of the race to do.

22:06Zoe Bäckstedt: And when you get to the velodrome, what is it like reflecting on the race afterwards? Like, because it's such an open environment being in that velodrome, but it's so enclosed as well. Like, how do you even begin to process anything? Like, it's such a huge day.

22:22James: Yeah, I mean, like, okay, you've got a lap and a half to do. So you come into the velodrome and you've got people there. Like, if there's a bunch coming underneath you, there's people there to try and keep you up high on the velodrome. And then, yeah, you do your lap, you sprint for the finish. And then, yeah, you come around to like the back straight and all of the swaniers are there with drinks and everything. And there's people on the side and there's people still coming in. and then yeah for me like in previous editions I was looking for my girlfriend to see if like where she was if she had come in yet and I was looking at her teammates to see where she was and where my sister was and everything like this so it's like trying to to make sure they also come in in in one piece as well because you don't hear anything of anyone else like until everyone is finished and then you're like okay what's happened what's happened in this group and that group and yeah just seeing teammates being like so completely exhausted laying on the floor looking at your hands and being like oh this is going to hurt for a week or so two weeks maybe if not and yeah just then trying to regather yourself and get some sugars down you get a little bit more food down you basically and then yeah let it sink in that there's all these people standing around the outside the velodrome that have just been cheering you on and probably standing there for the last four or five hours waiting for you guys to come in And then hopefully, if you're lucky enough, go and watch your teammate on the podium or something.

23:44James: So, yeah, it's just such a cool race. And everyone is in the same boat. Like, everyone is so, so tired afterwards and just completely dead, I promise. Oh, it's so hard, this race. But the feeling afterwards when you cross the line and you get to your soigneur and you get to your teammates, it's so rewarding to know that you've finished it. It doesn't matter if you're first or you're last, like, or anywhere in between, like, you finish Paris-Roubaix and that's just, that's an achievement in itself.

24:13Zoe Bäckstedt: No one can take that away from you, honestly. No, no one can.

24:20Robyn: I've been riding with the Hammerhead Caroo for a fair bit now. And beyond the slick screen and the 35-hour battery life, I'm really getting into the Caroo's climber function. now what climber does is show you any upcoming climb on a ride whether it's a pre-planned route or not and then when that climb comes up this data page pops up on screen and you get this little climb profile with gradients and color-coded sections for steepness and the distance to the top in length and elevation so it's amazing for places i've never ridden like on a sportive where you've never ridden the course before but the crew guides you up a climb in this predictive way so you can pace out your effort.

25:00Robyn: It's like having a little team DS on your handlebars. You can also look ahead at a route and see all the climbs on it so a bit like having a profile sticker on your stem like you see the pros have in races only this way it's way more detailed as you can pick out a climb and look at its specific details as you go. So check out our full review of the Hammerhead crew at cyclist.co.uk and see why we gave it our Cyclist Recommended award then head to hammerhead.io and use the code cyclist to get a free heart rate strap with every purchase just be sure to add the strap to your cart then apply the code at checkout

25:44Zoe Bäckstedt: you mentioned it before but are you a tape along along the hands person like what is your rubé setup?

25:51James: My Roubaix setup, the first year I did it, I got blisters. The second year I did it, I completely wrecked my hands. I could not hold the handlebars for about a month after, I promise. My hands were completely dry and bleeding. And those two editions, I wore gloves. And the last year, as in 25, I didn't wear gloves and my hands were fine. So I am just complete basic, complete regular, handlebar tape as per usual. Sometimes it's also quite nice to have like the cold feeling of the handlebar on your skin, like after the, after your hands have like vibrated over the cobblestones, like the cooling part, such a nice feeling.

26:33James: So I'm just, I'm complete basic. I know my sister is complete opposite. She will tape the knuckles, she will tape everything. She'll tape the wrist, the knuckles, wig gloves, do all kinds of different things compared to me, I'm just like, no, it will go super easy. Maybe I put gloves in my pocket in case I feel like I want to put them on. That's it.

26:52Zoe Bäckstedt: Honestly, I just think about it. And I'm like, I don't know what I would do, actually. I don't think I'd even get through it. But it is what it is.

27:00James: You know, it is what it is. Yeah, it's brutal.

27:02Zoe Bäckstedt: And so the classics are obviously coming. So we're speaking at the point in time, the UAE tour has been and gone and Omloop is on the horizon. But I do want to talk about the UAE tour because as you were saying there was a sprint finish that you were very much involved in on the first day behind Lorena Wiebers and Laura Gillespie how were you feeling in in the chaos of a sprint finish what were the emotions going through where was your head at talk to me about everything

27:32James: yeah well of course we had Chiara there for the stage race so originally I wasn't the sprinter We were in good position for quite a few kilometers, but maybe a little bit too early, let's say. And we lost each other. I lost Tata and Chiara lost Tata as well. So we were all kind of just scattered around the peloton a little bit. And yeah, 800 meters to go, 500 meters to go even. We're still at the back and I'm like, uh-oh, uh-oh. And I just saw a gap and went for it. And I sprinted so late. I don't even know how I got up to speed. It was probably 150 by the time I started my sprint. And I just managed to come past a few people.

28:11James: And yeah, you don't even think about what's happening. You're just looking for the line and going as hard as possible. And super happy with the result. I really didn't expect it. Not after being three days earlier at cyclocross worlds, you know. So it was like complete opposites. But yeah, like I said as well, it's kind of similar to doing a start in a cyclocross race.

28:31Zoe Bäckstedt: And when on earth is your downtime? time like you go out of the road season into cyclocross and then you leave cyclocross and go straight into the road season where is it because I was trying to look on your calendar and I was like hey there's no gaps here at all I tell you when it is it is the minute I cross

28:50James: the finish line at Roubaix that is when my off season starts is when I cross that finish line and uh and I get home and then I'm in I'm in a break from then on so it's uh yeah just a few weeks easy and then back to road racing from there so it's a very different kind of season to what like a pure road rider or pure cross rider would have trying to combine the two and trying to also do as much road racing and cross racing as I want to do as well so just trying to kind of balance the whole season it's not like I'd take four weeks at one moment I'd do like two weeks here one week there and maybe a few days in and out of the season a little bit between some races just relaxing and regaining some energy.

29:32James: What do you do in your downtime as well? I mean, in an off season, yeah, hard to say. It's different from year to year. I don't really, I wouldn't really go somewhere on holiday on my own, let's say. Normally, I would hope that my girlfriend also had a break and she could come with me. But at the moment, that's not going to happen. So yeah, it's maybe I go home to the UK for a little bit and see my family and yeah, follow my sister around on the bike for some sessions, obviously not riding myself, but, you know, like maybe meet her at the beach for a coffee or an ice cream. And yeah, just doing some laying on the couch, watching some Netflix, you know, just really chilling.

30:12Zoe Bäckstedt: It must be hard, though, like trying to sync schedules with your girlfriend, because I, it's hard for me to sync schedules with people like outside of cycling. Like how do you maintain like all these relationships with people like how do you do it everything is amazing to me when it

30:28James: comes to this yeah I mean it's it's never easy and uh yeah trying to plan like holidays or anything or if we go back to the UK to see my family or my grandparents or anything then it's like completely impossible to do it's just it's super hard maybe we can go for like four days here and four days there but it just yeah it's just hard you just sometimes have to do things on your own and sometimes she does things on her own and then maybe at some point we'll see each other for a week or two weeks and yeah it's just part of being a cyclist like you're constantly on the road and then you just need to try and plan a little bit when you can meet each other constantly on the go

31:08Zoe Bäckstedt: genuinely it's so true we are speaking of on the go you are going to on loop this weekend now you're in here opening weekend on the horizon classics are coming I feel like I can almost like sense the energy like buzzing from you how excited are you to just get the classics underway

31:28James: yeah I'm really excited I mean it's been a few years since I raced on loop so it's going to be super fun I mean I'm prepared for it to be absolutely savage but not to jinx anything the weather is looking okay we're talking touch wood we're talking like 10 degrees in Belgium which is completely shocking it's summer already so yeah I'm uh I'm really excited for it I'm ready for the races I've got coming up okay I'm needing a few days to just yeah recharge before Omloop after this training camp now but I'm sure by Saturday I will be hopefully flying and in terms

32:05Zoe Bäckstedt: of goals for the season obviously success is different to everyone but actually yeah first things first what does success mean to you I have hard questions today oh my gosh I'm so sorry

32:20James: yeah to me it's setting out with a goal of any kind doesn't matter what it is and being able to achieve that and if you achieve it pushing yourself even further you know maybe your goal in a race is to make it over one certain climb if you make it over why not change the goal to be over the next climb you know it's just always pushing yourself a little bit outside the box if if you want to but if you also don't want to then yeah setting yourself a goal to achieve something

32:48Zoe Bäckstedt: and yeah take it from there and what are your goals for this season throw them at me yeah I mean

32:55James: Paris-Roubaix for sure it's just it has to be said it has to be uh one of my big ones nationals always a goal nationals time trial I'm hoping is going to be again pretty good for me this season and yeah if I can be selected for the tour then I would like to be selected for the tour again is a pretty good time trial in that so my hopes are high and I will do everything I can to to be selected to be part of that team that goes to do everything for Kazia and whoever else are our leaders in in the stage race and the other ones side lacrosse season just time trialing love a bit of time trialing. I would love to do a sprint or two, maybe do some more podiums in some road racing.

33:38James: That would be super fun. But yeah, I'm just happy to be supporting my teammates if that's on sprints, if that's on climbs, if that's doing lead outs into different things, just tell me what to do and I will do it.

33:50Zoe Bäckstedt: I love that. I appreciate so much. Speaking of obviously time trialing, it's such a pure sort of cycling form. Do you love it because it's literally just you against the clock no one else and you can just go as hard as possible

34:07James: that was it end of the sentence end of the sentence you know what yes I love it because it is just purely pushing myself it is how much pain can you put through your body and how quickly can you recover can you take a 10 second breather through a corner and recover and feel like you've got enough power to go to keep going until the the next recovery or the finish line you know I also look at it as a bit of like a cyclocross race where you're constantly on the limit and you have small recoveries in a downhill or a corner or running over the hurdles yeah things like this is uh is for me a recovery so yeah I just love it it's just constantly pushing yourself and constantly fighting the clock fighting the bike fight yeah just a bit of everything you go really just deep into the race and I love it.

34:58James: It's just, I don't know, you can see it on my face, you can hear it in my voice that like, it just excites me to race it. I just really have a lot of fun when I'm on the time trial bike and I feel super aero and then I feel like I'm going really fast and I just have a lot of fun.

35:13Zoe Bäckstedt: If you could sort of dream up your ideal time trial, what would it look like?

35:20James: oh i would say anywhere out and back straight line nice okay yep easy i mean you can put a few corners in i don't really mind as long as it's not going to go straight up a mountain i mean don't put me in a time trial about duet's because i'm i'm gonna hate every minute of that but that's a different type of time trial yes that's a time trial for the weirdos no just the climbers of course they're they're a different breed to the sprinters let's say and i can't understand either of them

35:55Zoe Bäckstedt: also something that i want to talk to you about the baloy's ladies tour last year it was one of your i mean i feel like i say this about a lot of your performances one of your best performances it was your first elite GC obviously topping the topping the top of the podium because it's late and words don't work what was it like obviously different circumstances standing on the top step after like a stage race did that sort of spark something in you and you were like oh

36:26James: I'm a stage racer now as well yeah I mean it was really cool I didn't expect that I mean we had a lot of time trialing in that. Okay, two time trials, a prologue of three kilometers and

36:38Zoe Bäckstedt: a time trial of around 12, something like that.

36:41James: And yeah, I mean, Ellen Van Dyke was on the start line. You don't expect to beat Ellen Van Dyke in a time trial. You know, she is the goat of time trialing, in my opinion. So yeah, that was pretty cool to be battling with her a little bit in those prologues and time trials. And then I just had a pretty cool double day where I won that road stage and I got some nice bonus seconds because yeah it was super close between me and her and the final like for the GC it was between yeah me and Ellen which is also something crazy if you ask me like to be fighting against her for a GC battle that's just I just wouldn't predict wouldn't have predicted that on uh on day one you know so yeah it was cool to be fighting in a road race final and a little bit going for a super late cool move again time trial for the last two kilometers with, yeah, with Marie Schreiber also.

37:31James: So it was cool to just be in the mix on the top step a few times, which I loved. It was just a good week and I had a really fun week with the team and we were all motivated. And I think also when you have a few victories, then the motivation is even higher. And a few weeks later, then we went into the race in Poland and we had two victories of three. So, and the GC overall with Chiara. So like it rolled super nicely and everyone was just like super motivated after it to see the team doing so well.

37:59Zoe Bäckstedt: And I guess as well with the team, you are the youngest rider still on the squad. Who are you looking up to learn from?

38:08James: Yeah, I mean, everyone. Yeah, they've all got different experiences from different races, from being here for different times. You know, Tiff has been in this team for a very long time. She's done every single race. You could ask her where a pothole is on a certain part of the course. Like she would tell you everything. She would tell you everything that is to know about every single course that she's done. It's, yeah, incredible. And Kazia has so much experience being at the pointy end of races in Cobble Classics, in climbing races, in all kinds of different things. So, yeah, you have a lot to learn from every single rider in the team.

38:42James: And I also hope that I can teach them something as well, like from my side. And, yeah, learning from my dad and, like, teach that to them a little bit and how I've grown up with bikes and with racing and everything. So I think, yeah, it's just cool to be in such a well-developed team.

39:00Zoe Bäckstedt: You are obviously such an asset to Canyon because of your background, because of your success. I would say if you could achieve one goal with Canyon, aside from Paris-Roubaix, what would it be? Because Paris-Roubaix is a gibbon.

39:15James: Yeah. So. Okay, that's the main goal. but yeah for sure Olympics on a canyon bike would be super cool like just uh stuff like that you know I would also love to win worlds at some point and yeah grow with the team and help the team expand and be yeah be in the pointy end of some more bike races and be fine for the victory and in any kind of race you know we have such a well yeah well developed and over all kind of terrains we have riders for everything so I would just want to help the team grow to be there in

39:53Zoe Bäckstedt: the front end of all those bike races I love that I love it so much I don't want to be wrapping up this podcast interview because frankly I want to pick your brain about everything but we're winding down now unfortunately and everyone at home is going oh oh I'm sorry guys we want to talk to Zoe uh if you sort of could look back what would you want your younger self to know

40:20James: really hard questions i'm sorry i'm so in hard balls at you you are i was not prepared for this i mean it's late for you it's one hour later for me um yeah what would i want her to know yeah that finding your own path is an okay thing to do you You know, just believing in doing every single discipline under the sun. Like do track, do road, do cyclocross, do it all. Do what makes you happy. And in the end, it'll work out and you'll find your way into the World Tour. You'll find yourself in the World Tour. Like it's quite a big step from junior to World Tour. So yeah, know that it'll be okay, definitely.

41:02James: And just keep pushing and keep fighting for those victories.

41:05Zoe Bäckstedt: and lastly of course i hope that there's a lot of women a lot of girls listening to this but i guess what would your advice be to anyone listening to this uh that has a love of cycling maybe they want to be like you because who wouldn't what is your advice that you'd like to

41:22James: give to them um yeah for sure have fun that's the main thing like if you're not enjoying it then it's a really hard sport to do but going out with your friends going on the bike with your friends going and meeting up on Zwift with your friends and you know calling them on FaceTime and just chatting your way through a session or something or if you want to do an interval session on the mountain bike or on the cyclocross bike then just go out and do it you know if you have a gravel bike go and ride some some gravel roads and yeah just have fun on the bike that is the main thing that I can say because if you're not, then it's a hard sport.

41:58James: So enjoy those small moments of, yeah, going for a coffee stop on the bike and getting a small pastry or something like this. So just enjoy riding, enjoy being with the people that you're with, enjoy exploring new places because for me, that is the best part that cycling brings.

42:15Zoe Bäckstedt: What a beautiful place to end in. Well, thank you, Zoe. And obviously we'll be cheering you on at Home Loop on the weekend. thank you very much I appreciate it

42:29Robyn: Zoe Bagstead ladies and gentlemen you may have noticed in the intro I was just talking to Robin about this and I'm just going to fess up

42:35James: I did forget Zoe's sister's name it's Eleanor

42:38Robyn: and I'm so sorry and I just want to apologise for that as opposed to glossing over it and pretending like nobody noticed even though I literally just said to Robin it's worse to drop the notes than it is to play a bum note I'm just going to fess up and say I dropped the notes and played a bum note all at the same time so sorry about that um however zoe backstead parry-roubaix won by magnus backstead her father in incredible circumstances i also remember talking to magnus once and he said i was like at some point it came up that he just was like you never ever ride in the small ring it's like he said it's the pro gear the pro gear up a hill is the big ring and the largest sprocket on the cassette because if you ride in the small ring everyone thinks you're a weakling and that was how he rode and obviously So if you're like six foot four and probably like 95 kilos, you can do that.

43:21Robyn: Anyway, that's always stuck in my head. But Zoe Backstead, how do you genuinely rate her chances, Robin? Go on, tell us.

43:28Zoe Bäckstedt: I genuinely, I know in my heart that she's winning a Paris-Roubaix at some point. Like it is locked in because it combines like, it's such a phenomenal race. But it combines like cyclocross and all the mud and all the cobbles. And then you get the track element at the end. And it's literally just calling out for someone like Zoe Baxter to win. And obviously me saying that I don't think would put pressure on her because she's Zoe Baxter and she deals with pressure very well. But yeah, there is, I think within the next five years, she'll be adding to the cobblestone collection in that family. Yeah.

44:08Zoe Bäckstedt: And I'm really excited to see that. Yeah, I think it'll be brilliant. It'll be like a reduced bunch sprint probably between her and like two other riders. And then she'll win.

44:18Robyn: and if it were to go her way this year you know where where would you imagine those splits would happen because that's what it is right it's the as you've told me before it's it's it's if you make the splits you've got a chance and if you don't you haven't and that is so much down to luck yeah as much as anything else so you know where does she need to be and when ish it's the five

44:40Zoe Bäckstedt: star sectors i would say that you have to be at the front but as we were talking about it's so hard to be in the perfect position at Paris-Roubaix all the time because splits happen everywhere it will be like you know I remember last year like Ferrand Prevot crushed I think coming into the first sector of cobbles and then she ended up coming out to win so maybe that's the lesson we take away from this is that even if you crash at Paris-Roubaix you might still end up with a

45:10Robyn: cobblestone at the end of the day exactly exactly and it is i'm i'm going to attribute it to i'm going to say it's chris boardman who said it's a circus and ultimately he didn't want any part in it um because it's such a dangerous just because it's such a dangerous but i mean ultimately you alluding to the fact that it is this lottery and it's and it is just a completely bananas race to the point where you know people are going out with little trowels and cutting the mud out from between the cobblestones which they also strangely weirdly kind of like sinisterly if that's a word call baby's heads to make them even more cobbly and baby head-esque to make it even harder it's all about making it a kind of wacky races sort of event which i really you've got a feel for the riders showing up some of that i'm sure for some of them they're like this is bananas but really fun and also it has that potential element of surprise where yeah perhaps you're not going to be contending in other races in the same way but you could just get lucky but then for others man

46:11Zoe Bäckstedt: you risk your season don't you racing you gotta be a little a little dash of crazy to participate in parry ruby and a little dash of sick to enjoy parry ruby luckily i'm i am a sicko i love parry ruby

46:27Robyn: well on that note i look very much forward to it it's not i mean we're a few weeks off aren't we Holy Week, as they call it with Roubaix and Flanders, is just after Easter, just before Easter. I can never remember.

46:37Zoe Bäckstedt: Oh, I never remember when Easter is. Well, no one knows, do they?

46:41Robyn: Because it changes every year.

46:42Zoe Bäckstedt: Exactly.

46:43Robyn: That's why it can't be monetized in the same way with Christmas. They just need to stick to a single date. But unfortunately, the biblical calendar does not allow that. So anyway, on that note, we don't know when Paris-Roubaix is. We know it's coming up. We don't know who's going to win, but we're going to back Zoe and those other four riders that we talked about at the top of the show for decent showings in the classics too. So good luck, everybody. And happy watching, Robin. You sicko?

47:07Zoe Bäckstedt: Thank you.

47:10Robyn: I hope we'll keep that. I hope that was also, you know, meant in jest. So I hope everyone clocked the reference, the callback there. I love it so much. And we'll leave this little bit in, just in case anyone's like, what? Why did you call it that right at the end? Anyway, Robin, it's been fun. And yeah, catch you next time.

47:34Robyn: Hello, lovely listeners. I just wanted to tell you that Cyclist isn't just a podcast. No, Cyclist is also a beautiful print magazine. It's packed full of all the best rides from around the world, the newest bikes and kit, and loads of in-depth articles featuring guests just like on today's show. So head on over to cyclist.co.uk slash subscriptions and check out our latest cyclist magazine subscription offers.