From March 6-12 (which conveniently coincides with International Women's Day on March 8), Cycling News welcomes readers to "Women's Week," a series of exclusive interviews, features, blogs, technology, and advice.

Allison Jackson will race her fourth season on the Women's World Tour in 2023. She is excited to be healthy for the Spring Classic and to be a part of the growing foundation of the "new" team.

The sense of purpose is huge for the Canadian athlete, who sees it not only as a mutually beneficial situation for success this year, but also as an opportunity to change a bit of deja vu. Jackson returns to the EF Education-TIBCO-SVB program after a three-year absence, and the team has moved from the continental level to the top stage of the world during her departure.

Jackson recognizes the re-energized environment, new title sponsors, new faces (except for teammate Lauren Stevens), and expanded infrastructure to do everything possible to succeed on the world tour. As fictional soccer coach Ted Lasso declared, it's time to "believe."

"Some of the reasons I left were because I saw the gaps being filled. They brought a lot of resources. They really have the ambition to be a top five team," Jackson told Cyclingnews at the beginning of the year.

"And we need people who are going to make a difference in terms of staff, equipment, basically everything behind the scenes. So it's been really exciting to see the progress the team has made

"They have some great climbers, and you go into a race with teammates who believe they can win and do things that you can't. It's really exciting to be part of that teamwork."

The team chemistry base began last year when EF Education-TIBCO-SVB won 13 top-level debuts. In addition to Jackson, the team added just one rider, New Zealander Georgia Williams, but the two boosted the team's results, with six podium finishes to date and immediate chemistry.

Williams scored two stage podiums and a national time trial title at the Santos Tour Down Under, while Jackson finished second at the Clasica de Almeria and finished in the top 10 on the second stage of the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana. One day after the Strade Bianche Donne in the hills of eastern Tuscany, Jackson regained his classic legs in the Italian Riviera and Cinqueale, and then held off the rest of the pack in the Trofeo Oro, one step short of the podium.

"When I was with TIBCO-SVB, I always enjoyed it. And when EF joined, it was really fun just to watch the team grow," said Jackson, who raced for TIBCO in 2018 and 2019, taking a stage win and second overall at the Tour of Scotland in his second season.

"I really like the ambition of the team. I want to win races and I want my team to win. When I saw the program, I knew they needed a classic rider like me."

In 2021, Jackson had a breakthrough year with Rib Racing, winning the Canadian double title in time trial and road racing. She also took the points prize at the Ladies Tour of Norway and a stage win at the six-day Simak Ladies Tour. In one-day races, she finished fifth in the Tour of Flanders and Drentse Acht van Westerveld, while representing Canada in the road race at the Tokyo Olympics and finishing an impressive sixth overall in the road world championships in Belgium.

"I had a great season in 2021. I achieved my big goals, like winning a stage of the World Tour, competing in the Olympics, and finishing in the top 10 at the World Championships," he said. And from there, we have new goals. And from there, I have a new goal: to win a classic race, a historic and hard race. "

His dreams of classic glory were thwarted when he tore his ACL in January 2022, his second season with Liv Racing. After two days of stage racing in Setmana Valenciana and three days in Holland, he finished on the podium with a runner-up finish in Drentse Acht on March 11.

Two weeks later, he crashed in Ghent-Wevelgem and suffered a concussion. In the summer, he became even more ill and missed his national championship title defense.

"After a season like 2021, after achieving so much, you want to be better and better. Last year was a little difficult for me," she admitted. I can still say it was a successful season. I was on the podium and took the green jersey at the Tour of Scandinavia. So there were a lot of good results and things that happened during the season."

She said that winning is not everything, but how you deal with adversity and win again. And it's about believing in your abilities and in your team, and it's not just about physical strength"

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"You may not be the strongest, but you can really use strategy. That's what cycling is all about. It's how you use what you have when you're not completely physically strong. I can really use strategy to help myself."

The difficult part of the question about the important races on her calendar this year is "which" races she will do well in, not "how" she will do her job. Jackson likes to compete in all races and does not pick favorites.

"I have the ability and the ambition. When you have a great team behind you, you can make it happen. With this team, I can strategize a little bit about where I can peak," she admitted.

"Paris-Roubaix is a new race on the calendar. Paris-Roubaix is a new race. It is a chaotic, hard race. I would love to win this race while it is still on the circuit. I always love Ghent-Wevelgem. If there is a windy day or a hard race, I want to win for my team."

"I am very happy to be here.

Jackson is known for making "crappy videos" on his social channels. The time she spends creating and filming dance, she says, gives her a work-life balance that she hopes will pay dividends for herself and her "new" team.

"One of my life mottos is 'do well with what you have.' ' So I want to be a great bike racer and that's my main goal and purpose. The balance between silliness and serious focus takes some of the pressure off. By keeping my mind happy, I perform better, I'm more focused, and I'm willing to suffer when things get tough."

For more on the 2023 Women's World Tour, see Cycling News' definitive guide. Cycling News will also provide live coverage of the 2023 Spring Classics, with full reports, results, galleries, news, and features after each race.

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