"I thought it would stay with dreams, because most dreams are deceptions" - Alison Jackson sees dream come true at Paris-Roubaix Femmes
Cycling
Alison Jackson was best known in the peloton until today as a popular dancer and likeable figure, however her career has taken a 180 degree turn this Saturday, as she became the new champion of Paris-Roubaix Femmes in a dramatic race.
“When I came here with the reconnaissance on the course, I dreamed of winning. But I thought it would stay with dreams, because most dreams are deceptions. That makes it even more incredible that it worked out,," the Canadian rider said in the flash interview.
Second at the Clásica de Almeria this year, she had shown the potential in a sprint. Jackson was part of a very large breakaway that went up the road, and as the group slowly lost riders throughout the race, Jackson held on tough. The chase in the peloton was frequently disrupted by crashes and eventually a large group was also present in the back.
Jackson couldn't drop her breakaway companions in the cobbled sectors and the final kilometers, but as the group survived the chase of the peloton she was in contention for the race win. “I didn't have to wait to achieve that. I wanted to be part of an early move and make the race. That way you can also more easily avoid chaos and bad luck.”
And in the final sprint, she achieved what she could barely dream of. “In the final we came forward with seven, but only four ladies wanted to ride. Then I thought: either I don't participate and we are taken back anyway, or I ride full and you at least have a chance of winning," she described the dramatic finale. "Fortunately I had a free track in the sprint. It is always a special feeling to win, but even more so here on this iconic track."
Jackson was the fastest sprinter out of the six riders in front, and effective beat Katia Ragusa and Marthe Truyen. It was a very emotional win with plenty riders congratulating her, and it has become the greatest achievement of a long career in the peloton.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
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👀 A strong sprint and an incredible win for @aliACTIONjackso! 👏 👀 Un sprint tout en puissance pour une victoire incoyable d'Alison Jackson! 👏 #ParisRoubaixFemmes #WatchTheFemmes
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