Zoe Backstedt will make her Tour de France Femmes debut next week.
On Thursday, Canyon-SRAM named the 21-year-old Welsh rider to its 2026 Tour de France roster. She'll ride in support of 2024 champion Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney, who is chasing a second career title.
This year's Tour de France dates run August 1-9, with the Grand Depart set for Lausanne, Switzerland.
How Zoe Backstedt Earned a Date with the 2026 Tour de France
For Backstedt, the call-up follows a dominant stretch of racing. She swept the British road race and time trial titles in June. Shortly after, she won a sprint stage at the Tour de Suisse Femmes. Then she defended her Baloise Ladies Tour crown, a title she first claimed as the race's youngest-ever winner.
Cycling, of course, is the family business. Backstedt's father Magnus won a stage on his 1998 Tour de France debut and went on to complete the race seven times. Her sister Elynor competes at the top level with UAE Team ADQ. And her mother Meg is a former British road race champion.
"Everything just led towards cycling," Backstedt said of her journey in the sport. "And in the end, I'm so happy that I pursued it."
