Jenn Jackson shows brilliance in Brazil
Flat holds up Canadian champ while riding with the leaders in Sunday's World Cup XCO
In a breakthrough performance, Jenn Jackson came fantastically close to a huge World Cup result on Sunday in Araxá, Brazil. The Canadian national champion converted her excellent short track XC result (and the front row XCO start that came with it) into an early lead in the elite women’s race. Before a flat tire derailed her race effort, the Liv Factory Racing rider was looking on track to finish with the leaders.
Elite Women’s XCO: Jackson arrives on the front
After earning a front row XCO start via her fifth in XCC on Saturday (top eight XCC finishers get a front row start in the XCO), Jackson was quick to take advantage of the opportunity. Wearing her national champion’s kit, Jackson launched off the front of the race, leading through the first corners of the elite women’s XCO. Liv teammate Linda Indergand was close on her wheel.
As the race settled, Jackson found herself in a group with Haley Batten (Specialized), 2016 Olympic champion Jenny Rissveds, Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford) and Thomus Maxon’s Alessandra Keller. That lasted until, approaching the half way point, Jackson suffered a mechanical, losing air in her rear tire far from the pit area and a fresh wheel.
Batten scores first XCO World Cup win
Batten would go on to win the race, her first elite XCO World Cup win, in a tactical battle with Keller, Blunk and Rissveds. The U.S. racer reversed her fortunes from last weekend in Mairiporã. This time it was the U.S. racer forcing Rissveds to lead before launching her own last-lap attack of her own.
“You train all winter for this. To put it together on race day when it’s so tactical like that? It feels so insane,” Batten said after the race. She shared that the tactical element introduced its own kind of stress to the physical demand of racing. “When I was leading that second last lap, I was thinking ‘oh no, [Rissveds’] is going to do it again,’ but it’s hard. When people are slowing down like that, you just want to go.”
Rissveds, who would finish second ahead of Savila Blunk, was candid, mostly, about her result.
“Haley was clever today. I tried to attack her but she hung onto my attack, then she went. I’m not allowed to swear anymore, but if I was, I would swear right now,” the Swedish star said, referencing a reprimand from race organizers after her enthusiastic post-win interview last week. She also admitted that a win and a silver isn’t the worst way to kick off 2024. “I’m really proud, I’m having a really good start to the season.”
Jackson balances impressive result with what could have been
Jackson would, with a fresh wheel, finish 17th. While the result is good, it is more exciting seeing Jackson look so comfortable and solid riding among the worlds best for so much of Sunday’s race. It is only the second World Cup of a long season. It will be exciting to see what the Canadian champ can do when the series resumes in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic.
