August 27/23 8:46 am - Jenn Jackson 26th at World Cup #5, Emilly Johnston 6th in U23

Posted by Editoress on 08/27/23
 

Just two weeks after her best ever European result at the world championships, Jenn Jackson (Liv Factory) showed that it wasn't a fluke with a 26th place in Round 5 of the World Cup XCO at Pal Arinsal, Andorra. Earlier in the day, Emilly Johnston (Trek Future) finished sixth in the Under-23 women's race, nine seconds off the podium, with Ella MacPhee finishing 27th.

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"It was a lot like a rainy day riding on Vancouver Island in January, so nice and familiar," said Jenn Jackson. "I definitely favoured this and the added technicality over battling the heat. I'm happy with another solid, consistent ride into the 20s, and a minute in touch with the teens. After a rough short track Friday I found a bit more comfort with the effort at altitude in my legs and lungs, so was able to get more out of myself. Still working to bring the confident racer out; I feel like I'm riding well but just need a bit more tenacity and willingness to push a little deeper. Next weekend I'll race an HC in Hutwill, Switzerland, which I'm looking forward to as a change in pace from the World Cup."

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Austria's Mona Mitterwallner (Cannondale Factory) took the first World Cup win of her career after a race-long battle with Alessandra Keller (Thomus Maxon) in cold, wet and muddy conditions.

World champion Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers) went out extremely hard on the start, opening a 20 second gap as the riders began the second of five laps. It may have been too hard at the 1551 metre altitude that this World Cup takes place, on a course full of steep climbing, and considered the most physically demanding of the Series, because by Lap 3 she had dropped to third, 13 seconds back, and barely managed to hold on for third at the finish.

Keller, the winner of the XCC on Friday, joined Ferrand Prevot at the front on Lap 2 and dropped the French rider, but Mitterwallner, riding up from the Under-23 category, was making her way forward, setting the fastest splits for every lap after the first one, and joining the Swiss rider at the front on Lap 3.

The pair rode together for Lap 3 and the first part of Lap 4, before Mitterwallner opened a gap leading into the final lap; 15 seconds at the start of the lap and stretching to 34 seconds at the finish line.

Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) continues to lead the overall standings with 1266 points, despite finishing seventh, her worst result of the season. Ferrand Prevot remains second at 997, and Keller moves up to third from fifth, with 942 points. Mitterwallner jumps from sixth to fourth, only four points behind Keller.

"It means so much to me," said Mitterwallner. "It feels like ages; I know I am just 21, but there have been so many races where something went wrong, or it just didn't come together, today, everything finally came together. This is the hardest race I've done so far, in the mud and the cold and the rain. I didn't know what I could do today, but I just kept believing. The lap before [Lap 3] I saw she [Keller] struggled in the downhill, so I tried to make my gap there; I really like the mud. She pushed me to my limit; I was absolutely maxed out. It was a proper fight, but victory is so much sweeter after a fight."

Jackson fell back from the high-20s after Lap 1 to the low-30s mid-race. However, she then started to steadily pick off riders in the final two laps, coming within five seconds of a top-25 result. Other Canadian results were Laurie Arseneault (Pittstop Racing) in 48th and Sandra Walter (Liv Cycling Canada) in 55th. In the overall standings, Jackson remains in 35th place, with Walter 68th and Arseneault 74th. Johnston is ninth in the Under-23 standings.

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