For Paris-Roubaix avec Zwift winner Allison Jackson, Saturday's race was, in a sense, a full circle moment, even though the Canadian rider had not placed high in the cobbled classic race prior to the race.

Instead, the EF Education-Tibco-SVB rider spoke at the post-race press conference about memories of his childhood spent on a farm in Alberta. Grabbing a big stone like the Paris-Roubaix cobbled trophy is not a new experience for Jackson.

"I grew up on a farm in rural Alberta, and one of the things I had to do as a kid was go to the fields and pick up stones by hand and load them on the truck," said Jackson, across the road from the historic outdoor velodrome where the finish line is located. inside the Jean Stavlinski Velodrome, across the street from the historic outdoor velodrome where the finish line is located.

"To my surprise, I'm picking up rocks again today. My nephews go to the back field and look for stones, collecting their own and making sure they are out in the field so the farmers don't get in trouble. I think they would really love and appreciate this trophy."

Jackson spent the early part of the race in a breakaway group, passing outside of Dunain in the first 15 km. Normally, there is little chance of such a breakaway group escaping to the finish line, but this time was different.

Jackson, who holds Canadian road race and time trial titles and a stage win in the Simac Ladies Tour, was the most famous of the 18 women riders, and by the time the peloton entered the first cobbled section at Hornen with 82 km to go, she was 6 minutes ahead of the rest of the field.

The gap was significant, but one would have expected powerhouses like SD Walks and Trek Segafredo to address it before the blockbuster finale. However, a group crash 39 km from the finish temporarily dashed those hopes.

The resurgent chase group closed to within 10 seconds in the final kilometers, but the group led by Jackson held on to contest the win in Roubaix.

"We were able to push back quite a bit in the last five kilometers," Jackson said. ''I think there were probably only four guys in the group of seven, maybe more, that were actually moving. I got into the velodrome pretty fast."

"I was on two wheels and I started sprinting around 300 meters. But I was able to use that slipstream to get to a little bit higher up the track.

"I always say I love bike racing. It's a lot of fun, but it's extraordinarily fun when you win. To win such a big race like this is something that will go down in history. And as a Canadian, winning this race is monumental for Canadian cycling.

"It's the biggest win of my career and a dream come true."

Jackson's victory sealed a dream comeback from a mid-March crash in Ronde van Drenthe that left him with a deep cut on his knee and four stitches in the wound.

He returned to racing in Ghent-Wevelgem, Dwars door Hlaanderen, and the Tour of Flanders' Flanders Classic, but the injury is still not fully healed. Bicycle racers have to be tough, Jackson explains.

"I'm still healing," he said. That's why I wear knee warmers during races. I'm not fully healed yet, so I've got patches on to keep it clean."

"But a biker has to be tough. Falls happen, but you have to learn to be resilient and keep going."

Jackson, who returns to EF this season after racing for the team in 2018 and 2019, certainly showed no signs of lingering injuries when he raced in the breakaway group on Saturday.

It was a move designed to avoid possible carnage, crashes, and running in the gutter in the peloton, which was acute given the events that unfolded behind her.

"In Paris-Roubaix, the position entering the cobblestones is always better at the top. 'It rained earlier this week, so some of the cobblestones were wet and the gutters were muddy. So by staying ahead, you protect yourself from bad luck and the possibility of crashing.

"I can't believe they got on the breakaway so early in Paris-Roubaix. ...... If you look at the history of the men, they can really go far. I just wanted to get ahead of Lotte Kopecky before a couple of sectors. It's always a gamble."

Jackson led the breakaway throughout the race, attacking with 21km to go and taking the lead in the famous final dash to the finish.

She said of that finish sprint that she wasn't sure she would win, but she made good use of the velodrome and its banking.

"I wasn't too confident in my sprint," Jackson said later. I wasn't too confident in my sprint. I tried to pull hard a lot on the cobbles and some of the girls in the breakaway group said I was really strong. I knew I would be one of the strongest riders in that group.

"But being so means you have to play your cards right and commit to using that energy to get away. That's why I'm so good at sprinting. But in the end, after being in the breakaway group for so long and fighting for 140km to get there, to play it safe at the end and give up the sprint is .......

"I'd rather ride as hard as I can and end up in the middle of the pack or miss the win than get caught up in the pack and have minimal results. That's the gamble of the sport."

Away from racing, Jackson documents his racing life and shows off his unique dance moves on social media through TikTok (open in new tab).

But will her new favorite locks be featured in future videos?

She exclaimed. I hope I can teach this little rock to dance."

"I'm going to do some more pushups and try to incorporate them into my dancing. But I think I'm going to enjoy the win to the fullest and see what comes out afterwards."