Days after taking the bronze medal in her home World Championships, Briton Elynor Bäckstedt signed a three-year contract to race for the Trek-Segafredo team. The organisation earlier in the week announced it had signed two world champions - junior road race winner Quinn Simmons and time trial champion Antonio Tiberi.
Bäckstedt, 17, won Gent-Wevelgem, two stages and the overall in the EPZ Omloop van Borsele and finished second overall in the Healthy Ageing Tour Junior Women.
"I'm very excited to be joining Trek-Segafredo from 2020," Bäckstedt said in a press release. "It doesn't feel real yet, and I can't wait to meet up with the rest of the team. Trek do so much for women's cycling, supporting female riders and helping them develop and treating everyone the same, that it is an honor to join them. They have so many experienced and established riders to learn from, so hopefully, I can find myself in the peloton, improve, show what I've got and help out in the team. I can't wait!"
Trek-Segafredo are among the eight teams vying for the new UCI WorldTeams licence, which will guarantee entry to the UCI Women's WorldTour events, along with Canyon-SRAM, Mitchelton-Scott, CCC-Liv, Movistar, Team Sunweb, Ale-Cipollini, and FDJ.
Ina Teutenberg, Trek-Segafredo director, welcomed the addtion of Bäckstedt. "We are really excited to have one of the biggest up-and-coming talents join the team. I am personally looking forward to working with Elynor and helping her make the transition into the elite ranks. She is known for both her mental and physical strength, which will help her make the big step up from junior."
