Baloise Ladies Tour: Zoe Bäckstedt smashes prologue to claim first leader's jersey
Ellen van Dijk second, Charlotte Kool third in Yerseke
Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) was the fastest in the 3.1km prologue that opened the Baloise Ladies Tour on Wednesday in Yerseke.
The 20-year-old covered the distance with a winning time of 00:04.06, beating Ellen van Dijk (Lidl-Trek) and Charlotte Kool (Picnic PostNL) by one second to take the stage win and the event's first leader's jersey.
The Baloise Ladies Tour is a six-stage race held over five days from July 16 to 20. The event kicked off with a 3.1km prologue in Yerseke, treating the peloton to a pan-flat and fast race against the clock to determine the stage winner and first overall leader.
Femke Markus (SD Worx-Protime) set the early benchmark covering the course with a time of 4.11, and only a fraction of a second faster than her teammate Barbara Guarischi.
Other mid-race fast times were posted by Rachele Barbieri (Picnic PostNL), Sophie von Berswordt (Visma-Lease a Bike), Elizabeth Holden (UAE Team ADQ) and Ava Holmgren (Lidl-Trek), all within a second of Markus.
As the time trial progressed, Martina Findaza (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Felicity Wilson-Haffenden (Lidl-Trek) crossed the finish line with times fast enough to slot into the top 10.
But closer to the end of the event, it was Margaux Vigié (Visma-Lease a Bike), who was the first rider to break through Markus' early benchmark with a new fastest time.
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Her time in the hot seat was short-lived, however, as Bäckstedt raced through six seconds faster.
Then came Van Dijk and Kool, Marthe Goossens (AG Insurance-Soudal) and Marie Schreiber (SD Worx-Protime), all slotting in just behind Bäckstedt in the top five.
Bäckstedt will lead the Baloise Ladies Tour into stage 1's 127.2km from Jabbeke to Knokke-Heist on Thursday.
Results
Pos. | Rider (Team) | Time |
|---|---|---|
1 | Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) | 00:04:06 |
2 | Ellen Van Dijk (Lidl-Trekl) | 00:00:01 |
3 | Charlotte Kool (Picnic-PostNL) | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
4 | Marie Schreiber (SD Worx-Protime) | 00:00:04 |
5 | Marthe Goossens (AG Insurance-Soudal Team) | 00:00:05 |
6 | Margaux Vigié (Visma-Lease a Bike) | 00:00:06 |
7 | Femke Markus (SD Worx-Protime) | 00:00:08 |
8 | Barbara Guarischi (SD Worx-Protime) | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
9 | Fien van Eynde (Fenix-Deceuninck) | 00:00:09 |
10 | Martina Fidanza (Visma-Lease a Bike) | Row 9 - Cell 2 |

Kirsten Frattini has been the Editor of Cyclingnews since December 2025, overseeing editorial operations and output across the brand and delivering quality, engaging content.
She manages global budgets, racing & events, production scheduling, and contributor commissions, collaborating across content sections and teams in the UK, Europe, North America, and Australia to ensure audience and subscription growth across the brand.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
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