Alison Jackson wins elite women's Canadian Road Championship

Local favourite and Paris-Roubaix Femmes winner Alison Jackson (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) won the women's maple leaf jersey in a small sprint at the Canadian Road Championships on Sunday.

Olivia Baril (UAE Team ADQ) was second, with Sara van Dam (DNA Pro Cycling) taking third and the under-23 title.

The women raced 12 laps around the Edmonton circuit, and Jackson was one of the few European-based riders to have a teammate with her in the women's race - Sara Poidevin. 

Poidevin attacked solo early in the race, immediately opening a sizable gap. The domestic squads in the race were unable to chase her down, and the European pros didn't want to expend the effort, only to exhaust themselves while Jackson sat on. 

Poidevin spent an impressive 90-plus kilometres off the front as attrition shrunk the chase group. When she was finally caught, she went to the front to keep the pace high, still supporting her teammate.

The finish featured a short steep climb, followed by a 500-metre shallower uphill finish. 

Jackson, who was fresher after sitting in much of the race, surged a couple of times on the climb in the last lap before finally launching with less than 200 metres to go, rolling across the line more than a bike length in front of Olivia Baril (UAE Team ADQ), with Sara van Dam (DNA Pro Cycling) taking third, and the under-23 title.

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