Zoe Backstedt has added emphasis to her soaring reputation with an astonishing display of domination at the world road cycling championships.
The rising British star celebrated her 18th birthday by turning the women's junior road race on Saturday morning into a one-woman procession.
In wet and cold Wollongong conditions, Backstedt farewelled the peloton with a solo attack at 10km and stayed clear for the remaining 57km to win by more than two minutes.
Eglantine Rayer of France was second ahead of Dutch rider Nienke Vinke.
Backstedt's imperious win comes as no surprise - she came to the worlds with a formidable reputation and immediately added to it by dominating Tuesday's junior women's time trial.
She defended her junior road race title and is a world champion as well on the track and in cyclocross.
Backstedt is drawing obvious comparisons to Dutch great Marianne Vos, who was competing on Saturday in the women's elite road race, as a once-in-a-generation rider.
Backstedt is blessed with great genetics - her father Magnus won Paris-Roubaix and her mother Megan Hughes is a former British road champion.
She will soon join older sister Elynor on the World Tour.
Of the Australians in the women's junior road race, Talia Appleton was 21st, Bronte Stewart finished 28th, Lucy Stewart took 38th, Isabella Carnes was 43rd and Belinda Bailey finished 52nd.
