The intense schedule of back-to-back racing at the US Pro Cup was no problem for Jenn Jackson of Liv Factory Racing. Amongst some of North America’s best XC mountain bike racers, Jackson ended the week in Fayetteville, Arkansas with some solid race results and UCI points.
The week’s first race landed Jackson a podium spot in the UCI Elite Women’s XCO, aboard her Pique Advanced Pro 29 0. “I’m really happy to find some of the pace I was missing at the first US Cup rounds and move back up onto the podium. The race strung out quickly but I was able to hang in the wheels for the first half, then in the latter part set my own pace on the climbs and rallied the descents”, - Jenn Jackson after the first race.
In Friday’s UCI Elite Women’s XCC Short Track, the Liv Factory Racing member finished in fourth place, just 12 seconds behind the top three racers. “Took the hole shot in the short track and helped set a calm pace for the first couple laps; then as the pack whittled down had the power to chase the top 3 but not quite enough to catch them as the attacks went in the closing laps, finishing up with a solid 4th.”
Following that race was Saturday’s UCI Elite Women’s XCO, and after an intense leg-burning week, Jackson held her place in the pack with another fourth-place finish. With a time of 1:00:35, 1:47 minutes off a podium spot. “The XCO on Saturday had an interesting twist with the race being called done 2 laps early due to lightning. When we were told halfway around the track, I was recouping from the effort of trying to stay with the the top 3 for the opening laps and had just been caught by 5th. I’m glad we were together when the commissaries told us we were now on our last half lap; we were starting on equal ground, exchanged a few attacks and my final push over the steep rollers coming back to the final turns were enough to open a gap and secure 4th.”