Alison Jackson doubles up with Canadian Championships road race win

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Alison Jackson (Liv Racing) completed a rare double on Sunday, adding the Canadian National Road Championships road race title for elite women to the time trial victory she took on Friday.

Cyclo-cross and mountain bike pro Maghalie Rochette (Specialized Racing) was second, while Sara Poidevin (Rally Cycling) completed the podium. Ruby West of Ontario, finishing tenth overall, won the Under-23 title.

"I made the trip out here and it was special to be here, and that was the goal, to try and win the double," said Jackson. "I was more nervous this weekend then I think I have been for any other race, and I think it's just that I believed it was really possible. You can't control the race, so you have to race it and see what happens. I'm just really happy that it all worked out."

The hilly course started and finished in St-Georges, an hour south of Quebec City, and took the riders through the rolling hills of the Beauce region. The riders had a 30 kilometre ride out to a 28 kilometre circuit, which they completed twice before heading back to St-Georges. Gusty winds, while not as strong as that faced by the men on Saturday, were still enough to take more than half the field out of the race.

"It was a real bike race; my experience racing in Europe and racing the Belgian classics [meant that] I knew how to race in the wind, and that really played to my advantage," said Jackson. "I took to the front pretty early to make it more of a selection. On the first lap, the tailwind climb [Lac Etchemin] was pretty spicy, and at the top I looked around and there was just two of us. On the second lap she started to attack me, so I picked my moment and went all in. I wanted to come away with a solo win just to be sure to have the title."

Jackson was the favourite, and she was aggressive in the early kilometres, keeping the pace up and thinning the field before they hit the circuit. By the time the riders reached the circuit there were only 14 riders left in the front group, and Jackson thinned it further the first time up the Lac Etchemin climb, which hits 13% on the lower slopes. By the top, there was only Jackson and Rochette left at the front, as the remnants of the group struggled to reform.

The two leaders gradually extended their lead over the next lap, and were nearly two and a half minutes ahead by the halfway mark. Rochette tried attacking, but Jackson quickly countered, and exited the circuit for the 30 kilometre ride back to the finish line with a ten second lead. Rochette managed to keep within sight for a few kilometres, but Jackson's pace was relentless, and she began to pull away; 40 seconds up with 20 kilometres to go, and growing to 2:17 by the finish line. 

"I took to the front pretty early to make it more of a selection," said Jackson. "On the first lap, the tailwind climb [Lac Etchemin] was pretty spicy, and at the top I looked around and there was just two of us. On the second lap she started to attack me, so I picked my moment and went all in. I wanted to come away with a solo win just to be sure to have the title."

Poidevin managed to get away from the chase group in the final kilometres to take the bronze, but she was six and a half minutes down on Jackson.