One Thing You Might Have Missed in Cycling Canada’s Rio Selection

June 29, Cycling Canada revealed the 19 athletes (across all cycling disciplines) set to attend the Rio Olympic Games, but they didn’t mention the athletes names as team alternates – one of whom is me!

Canada earned 3 women’s road spots and 2 women’s time trial spots for Rio (announced June 2) which allows a maximum team of 4: 3 racers + 1 alternate.  Mid June, I got an email from CC titled Rio 2016 and was both extremely thrilled to be nominated to the team and also disappointed to be so close yet staying at home.  The alternate is a non-travelling alternate that will step in if one of the named team members cannot accept the spot (injury, sickness or maybe someone just doesn’t want to go?).  I truly wish all the very best to Karol-Ann Canuel, Leah Kirchman, and Tara Whitten, who I am confident will prepare themselves in the very best way to represent Canada at their Rio events.

It is truly such an honour to have been a part of the #roadtoRio as one of Canada’s top riders in contention for an Olympic spot.  It’s been just a-year-and-a-half since I committed to cycling as a career.  I have learned so much in the environment of Team Twenty16 Ridebiker.  The team has given me opportunity when they saw ability and instruction when I didn’t know any better.  We organized an important trip to race in the new Women’s World Tour events in Europe so that I could fast-track some needed experience in order to prepare for a shot at the Olympic Games.  We put a lot of pressure on me to prepare well and perform well – a similar pressure likely to be felt at events like the Olympics and World Championships.  This year I learned how to handle crashing and recovering, leading a team to overall victory and keeping our winner calm and strong.

I have many thanks to give to those of you who have been very interested and encouraging to me on my athletic journey.  Thanks for checking in after hearing of Canada’s Olympic selection.  There are still many more races in this year that need to be won.  I am really looking forward to preparing for the October World Championships in Qatar with my Twenty16 RideBiker team for the TTT and again aiming for a spot on Canada’s Road World Championship team.

Off-season 2015

It’s over???  I can hardly believe it. Is my first real season of bike racing over?  Can I really sleep in and go camping for a few days without bringing my bike along?  Yes…but not really: Yes, it is the off-season but my off-season looks like full-time farming on my parent’s grain and bison farm.  I’ve switched from riding bikes to driving tractors, eating bison steak and stealing seconds of my mom’s fresh cinnamon buns!

All the time spent in the tractor (today I was baling straw) has allowed me to reflect on this past year.  It has been an amazing year of bike racing and exploring professional cycling.  I have far and beyond exceeded my expectations for the year.  I had four major goals: improve my bike handling (and learn how to catwalk my bike), be top 5 at Nationals, be involved in a National Team project, and learn how to motivate my team.  Alex (my hubby) taught me how to catwalk, I won the Canadian National Criterium Championship race, I was involved in 4 National Team projects with the finale being World Championships, and worked with gems for teammates.

As for the race reports:

Overall winner at Twee Daagse van de Bloemenstreek, Massemen (photo by Joselyn Ryan)

Belgium – I did my first European race tour with Canada at the beginning on August.  My time there I personally used as a sprint camp.  I sprinted for every preme and took a few wins at the end too.  European racing has a huge following in Belgium and the crowds that we raced for pumped me up!  These local races often had 80 girls lined up at the start – I dream of the day that it is like that in Canada!!  One race that we did started with a 70km kermesse, or short circuit race, where the top 20 were started in a second race that was organized as an elimination race.  Cones were placed 500m apart and the last one across the line was out until only 1 remained.  After two stressful eliminations I attacked and stayed away solo to take the 1000euro prize (and a beautiful bouquet of flowers of course) for the team.

Leading the elimination race (photo by Hinnick Paul)

Attacking in the Finale of Lotto Ladies Cup in Belgium (photo by Krist Vonmelle)

France – It was only 2 weeks after returning home from Belgium that I got back on an international flight to Lyon, France for more racing (I had to come back for a TTT camp in between).  I flew with my trade team TWENTY16 p/b Sho-Air for the 6 day stage race of TCIFA (Tour de Cycliste International Feminin de L’Ardeche).  We traveled with our director Mari, but had no mechanic, no soigneur and no control over where we stayed or what we would find when we got there.  When we arrived we were greeted so warmly by the race organizers and were found everything we needed by the help of so many of the other teams and racers.  The racing there was like nothing I had ever experienced.  The climbs were steep and kept coming and the descents were fast, technical and on narrow roads.  I sprinted every day to earn the red sprinters jersey and held off some very tough, experienced riders to win the jersey each stage and at the finale.  I ate more crostinis, pizzas, waffles, and baguettes than I ever have – ever!

Sprinter's Jersey in Ardeche (photo by Velo Palmares)

Mari Holden (DS), Me, Lauren K, Jess Cerra, Senna Feron (BEL), missing Sofia and Leah

#yogaeverydamnday and with a bottle of Syrah from Ardeche area

Richmond, Virginia – 2015 Cycling World Championships – I was entered in two races at this event.  My trade team selected me to race the TTT and Canada selected me to race the road race.  For me this was an honour that recognized where I came from and the hard work that got me the results I’ve had throughout the season.  World Championships would be the biggest and hardest event that I had ever participated in to date.  Our team came in 5^th in the TTT as the top North American team and I rode to a solid 36^th place in my first every Road World Championships.  I loved it! I loved the excitement and the intensity.  I loved that people cheered so loud that you forgot there was a helicopter filming you from above.  I loved wearing the maple leaf and riding into one of Canada’s best ever showings at a World Championships.

A team of Canadians (hehe ok, I am the only Canadian - but proud!)

Getting aero - It's science. (photo by Adam Pulford)

The Team - a special moment in my heart (photo by Mari Holden)

Canadian Women's Road World Championship Team (photo by Denise Kelly)

Pinned and ready to roll at the 2015 Richmond World Championships.

Now it is time for the off-season – which is something I have never had!  When I was a triathlete I was also a cross-country runner for my university, a swimmer in an elite swim club, and a club cyclist.  One season would end just for the next sport to start up and I never missed a beat.  On my wedding day I went for a run in the morning and raced a triathlon in the middle of our honeymoon while on Christmas Day I spent the afternoon on cross-country skis! I am taking professional cycling seriously and I want to build into this next season from a solid and rested start.  During this time I am reflecting on 2015 and setting goals for 2016, 2017 and 2020.  This first year was big, but I think there is a lot more to squeeze me.

Waiting for 2015 World Championship Team Selection

Hey!

Here is a cool video made by AJCmedia (Alex Jackson Creative media) to recap a bit of racing and wait for the news on who has been selected for the 2015 Canadian Women's Road World Championship team.

Seen in the video: Felt Bicycles, SRAM red components, Quarq power meter, Zipp Speed Weaponry, Speedplay pedals, Fizik shoes/saddle, K-Edge, Arundel bottle cages, JLVelo clothing, Sho-Air International sponsor, GQ-6 Hydration found at GNC stores, Modify Watches, SockGuy socks

Block II – Racing Like a Pro

In bike racing, a first-year pro is called a Neo-Pro.  I am a Neo-Pro: new to pro racing and almost as new to bike racing.  This first year my husband and I understood that there would be a lot of ‘new’ and a first-time for everything.  My family is just as excited as I am to work hard to make this career a success.  In bike racing you need a strong team to be successful and luckily for me I have three teams – my family, my trade team and a great coach (Alison Testroete).

My parents listening close to the live race feed while at lunch with Alex and my sister

Alex and I out for a bike tour: Roadie vs. Mtn Biker 

It has been really exciting for me to have the opportunity to race pro and UCI races in the USA.  The opportunities for me to grow as a cyclist stem from the support I have to develop as an athlete from my team, TWENTY16 p/b Sho-Air.  My team directors believe in me and push me to learn quickly in race settings and my teammates guide me along in my bike racing education.

Photo by @dmunsonphoto

During this second block of racing:

I won my first NRC yellow leader’s jersey after winning the Highlands stage 1 of the Redlands Bicycle Classic (after crashing at 2 laps to go),

I claimed 2^nd in the Sea Otter Classic road race,

I took home the Points/Sprinters Jersey at the UCI Tour of the Gila while standing on the podium in 3^rd place for two stages, and

I finished the Amgen TOC in 7^th place overall while contributing to the overall team win for TWENTY16 p/b Sho-Air.

Photo by @cyclingnutz

I have been learning a lot and writing it down so I don’t forget it, but I know there is a lot more to learn and experience.  Right now, I am spending a little bit of my time learning how to ride a fixed gear pursuit bike on the track.  Riding around a velodrome is another new thing for me this year and I look forward to making these skills stick.  It has been humbling and inspiring to ride with the Canadian Women’s Pursuit Team who took home the Bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games and the Silver medal at the 2014 World Championships.  These girls started from nothing prior to the 2012 Games, paid their way to World Cups while having no official training camps together and have worked hard and steady to set the bar for Canada’s Women’s Team Pursuit.  Now, after achieving big results, they don’t have to pay for their own team kits and they have several training camps together in order to refine skills and be the best athletes they can be.  I am so inspired by these girls who believed in their dream and did it with whatever they had at the time.

Wearing the green for the final stage at Tour of the Gila

Next up for me:
Grand Prix Cycliste Gatineau UCI 1.1 RR – Thursday, June 4 **I get to ride for the Canadian National Team!

Chrono Gatineau UCI 1.1 ITT – Friday, June 5 (with TWENT16 p/b Sho-Air)

PhiladelphiaInternational Cycling Classic RR – Sunday, June 7 **This will be my first World Cup race!!

Canadian CyclingNational Championships – June 25/26/28 **This will be my National Championship debut!

Keep in touch via my blog (here)

Twitter @triactionjackso

Instagram @triactionjackson or

Like my Facebook page - Alison Jackson Athlete Page

2014 was a Good Year!

 I was recently notified that I received the 2014 Canadian Sprint Athlete of the Year Award by Triathlon Canada, because I won the 25-29 Age Group Sprint Triathlon World Championship in August, 2014.  In addition to that, I had received the 2014 BC Senior Cross-Country Athlete of the Year Award by BC Athletics, because of my performance at the FISU World University Championships in Entebbe, Uganda when I ran for Team Canada in March 2014.

Thank you to both these sport governing bodies for the recognition and awards.

Team Canada at FISU XC World Championships

The Bronze medal that I won as part of the Canadian Womens Team (The real one was stolen!!!) This gem of a medal is brought to you by a fantastic friend and teammate Morgan Cabot

My 'team' at Triathlon World Championships cheering me on to my 1st place finish in the Sprint and my 7th place finish in the Standard distance

FISUgandALISON: see what I did there?

One crazy week in Entebbe, Uganda

I can’t believe that I travelled 31 hours to get to sleep in sticky-hot Uganda for just 4 nights before competing in a 6km cross-country race against all sorts of languages, nationalities and personalities, and then leave the next evening to travel 34hrs back to Abbotsford.  It was crazy, but that is what makes this world beautiful: adventure, challenge, friendship and a good attitude.   I came in at 17th place, 3rd Canadian and our women's team took home the bronze (woop! woop!).

 

Team Canada in 3rd behind Uganda 1st and Japan 2nd

As it turned out my roommate was very beautiful ;)

Girls Team: Colleen, me, Victoria, Julie-Ann, Grace

Allow me to share a few moments Uganda moments - ha ha - where it was necessary to make the best of every situation.

• Loooooooong travel: get to know Canadian Team, homework compression socks, airport yoga
• Sticky-hot heat of Uganda: turn on the air conditioning in the hotel room
• Weird food options: eating small and non-adventurous until after the race
•  Eating dinner at 9:00pm: Buy bananas for inter-meal satiation
•  Having so-called-dinner at the mayor’s house: call it a dream and giggle with teammates
• Race in the heat and altitude: drink lots of water the day before, wear sunscreen
•  Closest safari is 5hrs away: go to the zoo and take animal selfies

 

The mini bananas - sweeter than regular bananas

Finally eating...in the dark...after 9:00pm the day before Race Day.  Options: potato mash (matooke), boiled potatoes, sweet potatoes, potato medley, squash, white rice, brown rice, spaghetti noodles, flatbread, chicken, fish heads, beef stew, and steamed green stuff

Jackson with Jackson - animal selfie

Dressed up for the Safari

Rhino in the wild safari...while we continue wearing our yellow suits and imaginations

A black and white stripped painted horse - a zebra

What was the race like?

•  Hot – but with a breeze and a bit overcast
• Tough competitors: good athletes from all over but no one would know who at the start line
• Raced on Africa’s oldest golf course and had us run through a couple of sand pits
• Lots of African security, no porta-poddies and no bushes to hid behind…until they brought poddies 15min before the race started
• Some teams shared start boxes even when some boxes were empty randomly between teams
•  LOADS of Ugandan children watching and cheering Canada on!

Entebbe Golf Course served as the race course

 

Signing autographs for our Ugandan supporters

What kind of people did I meet there?

• We flew the 10hrs between Amsterdam and Entebbe with the Suisse team and adopted their small team as honorary Canadians
• Lots of East Asian boys’ teams that wanted to say hello to us white Canadian girls
• The Oliech family (Canadians from my Church that recently moved to Uganda) I got to shower them with gifts from Canada and give them hugs and they pulled out a Canadian flag to come watch the races
• Rachelle Briscoe!!  A friend from TWU who is living and working in the nearby city in Uganda saw my facebook posts and came out to watch!
• In general, most everyone spoke English (at least a bit of English) which made it easier to make friends from all over

Oliechs and me

This girl - Rachelle Briscoe :) TWU grad

What did I learn?

• I can run well in the heat
•  I don’t like matooke (plantain aka banana mash)
• That being married is surprising news
• Some Australian slang
•  Amsterdam has the best Americanos and coffee cookies (stroopiewaffels) of all time
• I LOVE my Canadiam teammates!!

Thank you all who supported me to get here through financial aid, words of encouragement, shared excitement and prayers!
 
Now for MORE PHOTOS!!!
 

Smart and casual

In a Dutch teacup in Amsterdam airport

Grace and I with our Dutch coffees :) The best americano ever (fullstop)

It was sooo good that I had two!!!