After a successful Bloeizone Fryslân Tour the team is looking forward to the next races on Dutch ground.
On Friday the Drentse 8 van Westerveld is scheduled. The race over 134,2 kilometres starts and finishes in Dwingeloo. During the 15th edition of this race the riders have to tackle several cobbles (‘keien’ in Dutch) sectors. Liv Racing Xstra starts with Rachele Barbieri – last week winner of the final stage in the Bloeizone Fryslân Tour , Eva Buurman, Alison Jackson, Ayesha McGowan, Katia Ragusa and Quinty Ton in this race.
One day later the peloton will be at the startline of the Miron Ronde van Drenthe. The start will take place in Assen, the finish is almost 156 kilometres later in Hoogeveen. Again several cobbles sectors are waiting for the riders, but also four times the iconic VAM-berg. Alison Jackson is the only rider who does both races. Saturday she will get company of her Liv Racing Xstra team mates Valerie Demey, Amber van der Hulst, Marta Jaskulska, Jeanne Korevaar and Silke Smulders.
Last year Canadian champion Jackson performed really well in both races. She finished 5th in the Drentse 8 van Westerveld and 11th in the Ronde van Drenthe. Jackson is again looking forward to compete in both races. “I really like racing in Drenthe. It is nice to see it back in the spring. In the final stage of the Bloeizone Fryslân Tour we won with the team. We learned a lot with the lead-out and positioning ourselves in the best possible way. We can use all that during the races in Drenthe. It is always hard gruelling racing in Drenthe through the hard circumstances, the cobbles and of course the hard VAM-berg.”