Jenn Jackson and Carter Woods podium at La Nucia C1

Jenn Jackson and Carter Woods both earned podiums in their first XC race appearances of 2023. It was also both racers’ first appearances for their new teams.

Also in Spain, Emilly Johnston raced to fifth place in the elite women’s race at the Mediterranean Epic, a four-day UCI HC stage race.

Jackson and Woods speedy in Spain

Jenn Jackson lined up for her first race since joining the Liv Factory Racing squad and immediately put herself on the front of the field. The ’21 Canadian XCO national champion (and current enduro national champion) led early in La Nuica. Eventually, Malene Degn of the newly formed Lapierre Mavic team would take the win. Jackson’s Liv teammate, Linda Indergand would finish second and the Canadian third.

In the men’s race, elite and under-23 XCO riders started together. Alpecin Fenix’ speedy Kiwi, Sam Gaze landed the elite win ahead of World Cup heavyweights David Valero Serrano and Sebastian Fini. Candian 22-year-old Carter Woods finished an impressive 16th in the elite field. That result puts him in third, and on the podium for the under-23 men’s results in La Nucia.

This weekend’s C1 race in La Nucia is part of the Shimano Super Cup Massi XCO series.

Emilly Johnston races up to fifth in Mediterranean Epic

Elsewhere in Spain, another Vancouver Island racer was racking up podiums at the Mediterranean Epic, a four-day Hors Categorie UCI stage race (HCS). 21-year-old Emilly Johnston (Trek Future Racing) landed three podiums in four days, finishing third on stage one, two and four. A rough day on the race’s 105-km King Stage on Saturday dropped the Canadian down to fifth in the overall, but still a very strong result for the u23 racing against the elite field. Fifth in the HCS-class event also gives Johnston a significant bump of 130 UCI points going into the 2023 season.

Luisa Daubermann, Johnston’s Trek Future Racing teammate, won the Mediterranean Epic ahead of Janina Wüst (Buff Megamo) and Monica Calderon Martinez (Cannondale vas Arabay).

The men’s race saw Cape Epic veteran Georg Egger hold off Krzysztof Lukasik (JBG2) and Cannondale Northwave’s Martin Stosek and Marc Stutzmann for the overall win.