GB's Backstedt 'to give 200%' to win at Road World Championships

Backstedt will bid for the rainbow jersey in the women's under-23 time trial

Great Britain's Zoe Backstedt says she is excited to compete in the Road World Championships despite the expectation that it will be the toughest on record.

The competition will travel to Africa for the first time in its history and athletes will bid for the rainbow jersey in Rwanda's capital Kigali, known as the 'Land of a Thousand Hills'.

The men's road race will have 5,475m of elevation over the 267.5km circuit, while there is 460m of climbing across 31.2km in the women's time trial and 680m in 40.6km in the men's event.

"It looks like a fun course," Backstedt told BBC Sport. "It's not super technical as quite a lot of it is on big roads.

"It should be a reasonable ratio of standing to climbing as what nationals was - so that's exciting.

"But with all of the certainties, of course you can be nervous for it."

Backstedt claimed her first elite title at the British National Road Championships in June and is "going to give it 200%" to win gold in the Under-23 women's time trial.

The 20-year-old hopes to draw on the experience of women's elite rider Anna Henderson, who claimed Olympic time trial silver for Team GB at the Paris Games.

"I think I have got a good shot," she added. "I do have some experience in time trialling and I can also learn a lot from Hendo [Henderson] as well.

"You don't get second at an Olympic Games for nothing!"

Besides the competition taking place on a new continent, there will also be new safety upgrades following the death of 18-year-old Muriel Furrer, who crashed in the junior women's road race at the event in Switzerland last year.

All riders will be equipped with GPS trackers, which cycling's world governing body the UCI says "will strengthen the monitoring of rider safety during races and enable rapid response in case of incidents".

Backstedt said: "I believe the UCI are doing everything they can to make our sport and racing as safe as possible. You have to believe that they are doing what they can for us riders."

There will also be no radio communications between the riders and their teams which will help the riders to stay vigilant for safety hazards.

Who to watch

Pogacar has dominated men's road cycling again this year

The elite women get the competition under way in the time trial and Great Britain's Henderson is up against the USA's 2023 world champion Chloe Dygert. Australia's Grace Brown will not be there to defend her title after retiring in 2024.

In the men's time trial, Remco Evenepoel of Belgium will bid to defend his title.

GB's Tom Pidcock and Oscar Onley start in the men's road race but it is reigning world champion Tadej Pogacar who is the one to beat. The Slovenian has seven overall victories to his name already this year - including the Tour de France.

Meanwhile, Demi Vollering of the Netherlands will battle against France's Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, who beat her to the Tour de France title, for the women's road gold.

Competing for the under-23s in the women's road race is GB's world junior champion from last year Cat Ferguson. Despite only being 19 years old, Ferguson could be favourite for a medal after stepping up from the juniors.

How to watch Road World Championships

Sunday, 21 September

09:00-12:25 BST - Women's Time Trial on iPlayer/BBC Sport website

12:35-17:00 BST - Men's Time Trial on iPlayer/BBC Sport website

14:30-17:00 - BBC Two

Saturday, 27 September

10:55-16:15 BST - Women's Road Race on iPlayer/BBC Sport website

Sunday, 28 September

08:35-1605 BST - Men's Road Race on iPlayer/BBC Sport website

14:30-16:0 - BBC Two