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Commonwealth Games
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Jackson takes one for the team
Linda Jackson, Canada's most famous female cyclist and the woman whose Olympic dream died in a controversial crash and a crumpled heap with a busted arm in Atlanta seven minutes into the road race, showed up lame but game at the Commonwealth Games. And she gave it a go so a teammate could go for the gold.
Canada's gold was scored by Lyne Bessette. From Jackson. At 2:24.59.
The assist made a better story than the gold.
Jackson had her man. OK, woman.
She took great pleasure in marking Olympic gold medallist Kathy Watt of Australia, the gold medal winner at the last two Commonwealth Games.
Jackson knew with a damaged stomach wall there was no way she could win, but decided she could make sure the me-me-me girl on the Australian team she loves to hate didn't move up to the front where Bessette, silver medallist Susannah Pryde of New Zealand and bronze medallist Anna Wilson of Australia had broken off in a pack of three.
And when it was over, she made sure the Australian media knew what had happened out there.
It was juicy, juicy, juicy.
"Kathy was unhappy. She didn't care if an Australian won the race. She wanted to win the race.
"She's always like this. I can't believe Australia keeps bringing her to race.''
An Aussie scribe, who couldn't scribble those quotes fast enough, asked if the two talked after the race.
"Not a chance,'' said Jackson, who says Watt doesn't train with the Aussie team, doesn't talk to her Aussie teammates and doesn't even sit to eat with them in the athletes village.
And she gave them more.
"The other Australians were so upset she was trying to do this, they were trying to run her into the gutter.
"It was almost hilarious.''
This plays well enough in Canada. But this is simply sensational stuff in Australia.
Jackson, who is a doubtful starter for the points race thanks to the abdominal and inner-thigh muscle pulls suffered in training two days ago, says, "It's really disappointing, especially after the Atlanta incident.''
But turning out the lights on Watt made it all worthwhile.
She makes no bones about it. She basically thinks Kathy Watt is one of the biggest bitches ever to climb on a bike. And says so.
"I speak my mind,'' said the woman who gave up a lucrative position as a vice-president of an investment firm to chase people like Watt instead of the almighty buck.
What Jackson did was go wheel-to-wheel with Watt every time she tried to attack to catch up to the lead pack. "I made sure she got frustrated.''
Watt beat Jackson at the end in their own private little race for fifth and sixth.
"We didn't want her going up there,'' Jackson continued. "Neither did her Australian teammates.
"They were shouting 'Stop, Kathy, stop.'
"Their girl was the best sprinter of the three who were up there.
"Kathy asked me to go up there with her. I didn't want to bring her up there,'' she said of the Australian's desperate need for a drafting partner to use to make a move.
By all rights, Wilson, the Australian who was in the lead, should have won.
"She is the best sprinter,'' said Bessette.
But the same racing luck that Jackson knows better than anybody in the business jumped up and bit Wilson at the end of the race.
Her foot slipped off the pedal.
"When we were three, I thought, 'Now I can have a medal,' '' said Bessette, who was missing her bike until it showed up 15 hours before race time and was planning to borrow the bike of women's team manager Sara Neil who had given up her racing shoes to Eric Wohlberg to win a bronze medal in the men's road race the day before.
"With 500 metres to go, Susannah went. And I told myself, 'It's time to go.' I knew I'd be able to beat her,'' said Bessette.
"It's sad to say, but Anna could win that race.''
It was dream-come-true stuff for Bessette.
"Ever since I was a little girl this has been my dream,'' she said.
Well, close, anyway.
She dreamed it would happen to her in track and field.
"I was doing track and field and I got injured. I really didn't want to do cycling.
"But cycling was the best way to stay in shape while I was recovering. After a while I realized all my dreams as a little girl are more reachable in cycling.''
And with a little help from her friends ...
Maybe she can return the favour to Jackson in the Sydney Olympics.
"I'm now 99% I'm going to Sydney,'' said Jackson, who has had a terrific year until this latest bit of bad luck struck.