A former Trinity Western University champion won the White Spot — Delta Road Race at the Tour de Delta on the weekend.
Alison Jackson of Vermillion, Alberta, won the eight lap, 103.6 kilometre Sunday women’s bicycle race in two hours, 38 minutes and 15 seconds, sprinting ahead of fellow Canadian Marie-Soleil Blais and Portland, Oregon’s Starla Teddergreen.
“This is my first win of the season and to win in Canada is special,” said Jackson, who finished third in the race in 2016.
“I’ve wanted to win this race for several years now. I’ve been on the podium and my teammate Kendall Ryan won it last year, so we had to defend.”
For Jackson, winning on home soil is big for the former elite cross-country star.
“It’s hard winning a bike race, whether it’s in Europe or America or here… so whenever you get a win, you’ve got to savour it – that’s what this is for me,” added Jackson, who graduated from Langley’s TWU with a degree in kinesiology in 2014.
Jackson had a standout indoor track and field season with the Spartans that year.
She captured a Canada West gold medal in the 3000m and a silver in the 4x800m relay. She also earned a Canada West gold medal in cross country while finishing fifth overall at the CIS national championships. The Canada West and CIS championships are based on the results of the same race.
Jackson was one of three athletes, along with Fiona Benson (women’s track and field and cross country)and Kristen Santema (women’s soccer) who won the Spartan Complete Champion Awards.
Complete Champion measures a student-athlete in five areas of development: academic, athletic, leadership, personal and spiritual.
READ MORE: Jackson second in sprint triathlon at world championships
In the men’s race, Californian Samuel Bassetti just managed to edge rival Kaler Marshall to take the victory.
Tour de Delta is part of BC Superweek, Canada’s biggest professional road cycling series and features more than $140,000 in prize money with nine races over ten days. BC Superweek runs from July 5 – 14 and is made up of the Tour de Delta (July 5 – 7), New West Grand Prix (July 9), Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix (July 10), Giro di Burnaby presented by Appia Development (July 11), PoCo Grand Prix presented by Dominion Lending Centres (July 12), and Tour de White Rock presented by Landmark Premiere Properties (July 13 – 14).
BC Superweek sees a rest day on Monday and continues Tuesday with the New West Grand Prix. The women race at 6:15 pm while the men take the course at 7:30 pm.
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