Backstedt takes world silver behind Reusser in Montreal
Zoe Backstedt won silver in the women's time trial at the UCI Road World Championships in Montreal.
The 21-year-old Welsh rider, racing for Great Britain, finished 40.11 seconds behind Switzerland's Marlen Reusser, who kept the rainbow jersey she won last year in Rwanda BBC Sport.
Reusser stopped the clock at 50 minutes 24.44 seconds. Backstedt held on for second, 5.43 seconds ahead of Germany's Franziska Koch in third.
A time trial is cycling's simplest test. Riders start alone and race the clock, with no help from teammates and nowhere to hide. In Montreal the elite women faced 39.2 kilometres, the longest women's time trial ever raced at the Worlds Cyclingnews.
That distance hurt. The road rose and fell out of the city, and the fastest riders had to pace it perfectly. Reusser did. Backstedt did not fade either.
It was Backstedt's first ride in the elite race at the Worlds. Last year she won the under-23 time trial title before stepping up to the top level. This summer she won both the road race and the time trial at the British Championships.
Reusser had extra reason to celebrate. She took gold on her 35th birthday. It was her second world time trial title in a row, after victory in Kigali.
For Britain, it was a rare medal. Backstedt's silver is only the third British medal in the women's time trial discipline. Emma Pooley won gold in 2010 and bronze in 2011.
The pre-race favourite from the Netherlands, Demi Vollering, finished eighth, well off the pace. Britain's other rider, Anna Morris, placed 16th on her World Championships debut in the discipline.
What makes this stand out is Backstedt's speed of progress. Silver in her first elite Worlds time trial, against the defending champion, puts her straight into the top group. The road race in Montreal is still to come.
