July 25/21 10:46 am - Canuel & Jackson on the Women's Road Race

Posted by Editoress on 07/25/21
 

The three Canadian riders in the Olympic women's road race were all in the main chase group with 33 kilometres to go, but as the pace picked up on the final climbs, first Leah Kirchmann and then Alison Jackson were dropped. Karol Ann Canuel stayed with the group until the final three kilometres, eventually coming in just behind the group in 16th place. Jackson (32nd) and Kirchmann (36th) rolled in with a group seven minutes behind the winner. [See Austrian Wins Women's Road Race as Dutch Favourites Miscalculate for the race report]

We have quotes from Karol Ann and Alison, this is Karol Ann's second Games and Jackson is attending her first Games.

Karol Ann:  "It went pretty good, I felt pretty good. The heat was really something and the course was really, really hard. It was 5K too long for me! But I'm happy with how I raced and how the [Canadian] girls raced together. The plan was for the three of us to conserve to the top of the first long climb and see after that; clearly I was feeling the best after that point, so the girls started helping me, getting me food and stuff."

"After that, we were just looking to see if there were any opportunities. But it was hard to follow the race with no communications. We didn't exactly know the time gaps, so it was hard to read. For me, I tried to play smart ... until 5K to go ..."

"For the road race I felt better than five years ago in Rio. The way I am feeling, I feel good for the time trial on Wednesday. I want to have a good day, have a good pace, be proud of my results. A top-5 would be great, but it's hard, really hard; everyone is a step stronger here, which is normal. I just hope I have a good day."

Alison Jackson:  "It was a tough day. The break went super early, and that's not usually how women's racing goes; it was a lot more like the men's race. We decided that as a team we were strong enough to make it with the bunch over the climbs, so we just sat in and played our cards at the end."

"I went back to the car I don't know how many times, but I'm sure it was seven or eight times. Just getting water and ice because it was a really hot day out there. Supporting the girls but also I didn't know what kind of form I had coming into this race with the last minute call up, but actually my legs were good and I'm happy with my performance."

Jackson was only added to the squad ten days before the race, after another nation did not use their spot:  "I'm just happy to be here, this is a great experience and a dream come true. To do it with these girls, Karol Ann and Leah; we're good friends and respect each other, so it was a lot of fun getting to be here and a little less pressure for me. It was a bonus for me and the other girls to have a team mate."

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Olympic Games: Women's Road Race results