"The helmet saved my life" Zoe Backstedt writes without mincing words in a social media post describing her almost perfect October that was ruined by a training crash. Fortunately nothing serious, but with the cyclocross season about to kick into high gear, the under-23 world champion will necessarily have to postpone her debut.

21 years old as of last September 24th, the British athlete of Canyon Zram Zondacrypto is the rising star of women's cycling and despite her young age has already collected multiple titles in both road and mud disciplines. In the just-concluded road season, she raised her arms to the sky six times, important successes that include the overall classification of the Baloise Ladies Tour and fifteenth place at Paris-Roubaix. Specialized in time trials, in Rwanda she was crowned under-23 world champion in time trial, beating her rivals by almost 2 minutes, a final seasonal success before a well-deserved break.

October was marked by family vacations and training in the rain, a great way to recharge, but on Friday during a training session Zoe ended up on the ground. The dynamics of the fall are not specified, but the British athlete suffered 2 small fractures to her hand and wrist. "It's really a shame to have had this mishap that forces me to miss the first races of the season, but give me time and I'll come back even stronger," she wrote in an Instagram post, reassuring her fans and specifying how the helmet literally saved her life. The first Cyclocross World Cup event is scheduled for November 23rd in Tabor and most likely we won't see the under-23 world champion at the start, as she will take time to recover 100%.

In the past season, Zoe Backstedt reached 3 podiums and in the races she participated in, she never finished outside the top ten, impressive numbers for the young British athlete who is already working to return stronger than before.