Alison Jackson will depart Liv Racing Xstra and return to EF Education-TIBCO-SVB in 2023. The Canadian Olympian and former national road and time trial champion re-joins the US-based Women's WorldTeam in a leadership role with a focus on the Spring Classics.
“I have a lot of good memories from being on the program. Linda Jackson is such a legend. She has such a passion for the women in the sport. I’ve just been watching the team develop and grow," Alison Jackson said, referring to the team founder and manager. "I think for sure it’s a new team now that it’s gone WorldTour. I’m just excited to invest in it and have the team invest in me.
“I’m a Classics rider. Any of the Spring Classics are on the top of my goal list. I love being deep in the mix. There’s deep history in those races — they’re hard races. The one day race where it just becomes this epic story from the start to the finish, whether there’s bad weather or obstacles, and you have to be smart with how you play your cards.”
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Alison Jackson turned professional in 2015 and join the then-TIBCO-SVB programme for two seasons in 2018 and 2019 before moving on to top-tier teams at Sunweb and then-Liv Racing Xstra, where she spent the last two seasons.
During her time away from TIBCO-SVB, the team moved up to the Women's WorldTeam ranks this season bringing in EF Education as a title sponsor. It is one of the longest-running women's teams that began in 2007, and led by former professional racer Linda Jackson, with a focus on preparing Canadian and American riders in their pursuit of racing at the Olympic Games.
“We are delighted to welcome Alison back to the team. We’ve both grown a lot in the last few years and I believe we both have a lot to give to each other. AJ is incredibly strong and reads races well, especially the Classics," Linda Jackson said.
"She has been able to get herself to where she needs to be at the right time, and our deeper roster should lead to more results in these races. Our goal is to be a top five WorldTour team in the next few years and AJ is part of that process. I’m looking forward to working with Action Jackson #2 again!”
This year, Alison Jackson won the points competition at the Tour of Scandinavia and narrowly missed defending her Canadian national champion’s road title. She finished second at Drentse Acht van Westerveld, improving on her fifth-place result in 2021.
Last year, she won both the Canadian road and time trial national championships, a stage at Simac Ladies Tour, and the points jersey at the Ladies Tour of Norway. She also placed sixth at the 2021 World Championships and competed at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
She aims to help the team secure a top-five place among the world ranking in 2023 while taking on more leadership responsibilities.
“I have a future view of this team and the goal is to be a top five team but I think they’ll benefit from a rider like me for the Classics and the spring races. I'm really excited to fill that role and also bring a lot of experience on the road and helping the team fulfill our ambitions," Alison Jackson said.
"Also what’s really exciting is that the team has a lot of riders that are not like me. This is a climbing and stage racing team that is winning and I'm excited to be part of this program. To race with people that you are so confident can ride the types of races that are not types that I will win is exciting. I think it’s going to be a really fun blend of getting to play the teammate role in some races and getting to be the leader sometimes.”
