Zoe Bäckstedt vs the rest? – Riders to watch in the World Championships women's U23 time trial

This year, for the first time ever, the under-23 women will have their own road race and time trial at the Road World Championships. Until recently, there wasn't a separate U23 title for women at all, but at the last three Worlds, rainbow jerseys have been awarded to the best U23 finisher in the elite women's races.

In 2025, however, after a long wait, there is finally no longer a 'race within a race', with the under-23 women receiving their own separate races, at separate distances, and – most importantly – with separate teams, so nations can send dedicated under-23 squads.

Unlike in the men's U23 events at Worlds, the women's TT and road race are open to riders currently on WorldTour and ProTeams, as long as they're younger than 23, so there is some really stacked competition, including riders who have already won at WorldTour level.

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The first of the two women's under-23 events gets underway on Monday, September 22, with the time trial. The 22.6km course is a shortened version of the elite route, taking in just one ascent of the Côte de Nyanza climb (2.4km at 5.5%) instead of two. Towards the finish, they'll also tackle the Côte de Kimihurura, which is cobbled, 1.3km long, and with an average gradient of 5.8%.

Despite the climbs, their fairly modest lengths and gradients shouldn't make this a climbing TT, and the strong specialists are still the riders you should expect to see at the top of the results sheet.

Topping the list of favourites early on is undoubtedly Great Britain's Zoe Bäckstedt. Bäckstedt is the British national TT champion, and has won two other TTs so far this year, including one at WorldTour level, when she beat riders including Ellen van Dijk on stage 5 of the Simac Ladies Tour.

Bäckstedt has already been World and European champion at under-23 and junior level, and is by far the most decorated time trialist on the start line. She's also only doing the TT, not the road race, so it's clear where her focus is, and likely that anything other than the gold medal and a rainbow jersey would be disappointing for her.

However, despite Bäckstedt's favourite status, there are plenty of other strong riders who will be trying to push her to her limit in Kigali.

The likely toughest opponent is Spain's Paula Blasi, who has burst onto the scene this year, making a mid-season step up for UAE Team ADQ's development squad to their WorldTour outfit after some stellar results on the road and gravel.

Most of those have been on the road, and the Spanish rider will be thinking about the road race mainly, but she also won a WorldTour TT when she powered to the win on the opening stage of the Tour de Romandie Féminin, an uphill prologue. This bodes well for the climbing challenge on Monday.

Viktória Chladoňová (Slovakia) was second in the junior women's TT at last year's Worlds, and though she is still only 18, she has been impressive this year for Visma-Lease a Bike, and will revel in the chance to be amongst it in the U23 category.

Marie Schreiber (Luxembourg) had to pull out of the Tour de l'Avenir Femmes before the time trial, so didn't get to show off her abilities there, but this year won the elite time trial at the Games of the Small States of Europe, and is strong in the discipline.

A rider who did perform well at the l'Avenir TT, though, was Belgium's Lore De Schepper, also taking seventh in the elite TT at Belgian nationals, so she'll be a rider who will be hoping for a good day and a time that can trouble the podium.

As for new names and riders to watch, keep an eye out for Benin national Charlotte Metoevi. She's been preparing for Worlds by training in Wyoming and making her debut at the Maryland Cycling Classic, and should be hoping for a good result here, under the coaching of Rwandan cycling star Adrien Nyonshuti.

Also pay attention to Rwanda's Jazilla Mwamikazi, proudly representing the home nation, but also a formidable rider who has been racking up wins with the World Cycling Centre team. Tactics and technique have been her weak point, but the 21-year-old reportedly has some very impressive numbers, which she should be able to show off in the time trial.

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