A Whitehorse road cyclist is hoping to bring the momentum of early season successes into the biggest event of the summer next month.
David Jackson will be Yukon’s lone cyclist at the Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg July 28 to Aug. 13.
“That was basically my goal since December, to try to make the standards for the team,” said Jackson. “I’m feeling really happy about achieving that goal, going to represent the Yukon.”
Jackson, who has received training from national team coach Houshang Amiri, has division wins at the Tour de Haines Junction, Tour of Skagway and the Tour de Whitehorse so far this summer.
This past weekend the 20-year-old posted personal bests at the Rundle Mountain Stage Road Race, June 23-25 in Canmore, Alta.
“It went pretty good, I got lots of personal records,” said Jackson.
“All and all I thought it was a really fun weekend of racing. I’d probably go down again next year to do it.”
Racing in the Category 4 open-age division, Jackson placed 26th in the criterium, with an average speed between 45 and 50 kilometres an hour.
He then placed 20th in the time trial held on a hill with 20 degrees of steepness. He finished the 1.92-kilometre course in 7:42.
Jackson capped the event with 27th in the road race.
“I stayed with the peloton for four out of five laps and was dropped in the fifth,” said Jackson. “That was a really good personal best right there — 64 kilometres into the race before being dropped.”
Jackson is a member of the U Kon Echelon cycling club founded by Trena Irving, who will be Yukon’s cycling coach at the Canada Summer Games.
Contact Tom Patrick at tomp@yukon-news.com