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Canada’s Holmgren sisters seventh and eighth in Fayetteville Worlds Junior women’s race

British favourite Backstedt runs away with the race to claim rainbow jersey

January 29, 2022
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In Saturday’s first individual contest of the 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Championships, Canadian twins Ava and Isabella Holmgen finished seventh and eighth in the Junior women’s race. As expected, Brit Zoe Backstedt ran away it, taking the first rainbow jersey and gold medal race of the 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the first Worlds in the U.S.A. since Louisville 2013.

You can watch the 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Championships at FloBikes.

The Course

The Ozark Mountains route was fast and dry, unlike October’s round of the World Cup. There was a curving 39-step staircase, long gradual climbs, and short steep ramps that caused problems in the mixed team relay.

The Canadian Contingent

The Holmgren twins, Ava and Isabella, and Jenaya Francis all raced Friday’s mixed team relay. Kiara Lylyck and Ella Myers rounded out the squad. 20.8 percent of the 24-strong field was Canadian. The Canucks were on the second and third grids.

Backstedt, daughter of 2004 Paris-Roubaix winner Magnus Backstedt, might have been the heavy favourite, but it was Dutch rider Leonine Bentveld taking the early lead of Lap 1 with Backstedt and British teammate Ella McLean-Howell her closest pursuers. Ava was fifth. Backstedt got loose on a hill, with Ava up to fourth.McLean-Howell was second. Backstedt completed the first circuit with a 19-second lead over Ava’s chase group of five.

Ava Holmgren in the main chase group on Lap 1.

Holmgren lead the pursuit string at the start of Lap 2 before Bentveld grabbed the controls. Ava Holmgren hit the deck on a tricky section but was still sixth going into the second half of the lap. Holmgren’s group was 42 seconds in arrears, with Bentveld between them and the British leader. Isabella Holmgren was 10th.

While in fourth place, Ava Holmgren hits the deck on Lap 2.

On the third of five laps the other Dutch rider, Lauren Molengraaf, took off from Ava’s chase group in a bid for the podium. Holmgren dangled off the back of the group heading onto the 39 steps.

Holmgren keeps fighting on Lap 3.

Backstedt’s gap was 29 seconds over Bentveld going into the penultimate lap and Molengraaf was +0:47. Isabella rose to 9th. Ava caught back up with her group but was soon off the back again.

Ava had to start thinking about defending her seventh place on the bell lap, as Czech Julia Kopecky was on her six and Isabella was closing in too. Backstedt, Bentveld and Molengraaf had their spots nailed down. Ava exchanged high fives with the crowd as she finished safe in seventh.

Isabella finished only 11 seconds after her sister.

2022 UCI Cyclocross World Championships, Junior Women
1) Zoe Backstedt (Great Britain) 41:16
2) Leonine Bentveld (The Netherlands) +0:32
3) Lauren Molengraaf (The Netherlands) +0:57
7) Ava Holmgren (Canada) +1:38
8) Isabella Holmgren (Canada) +1:49
17) Ella Myers (Canada) +4:18
19) Jenaya Francis (Canada) +4:43
22) Kiara Lylyck (Canada) +5:36