Jessica Alcock is aiming for a good result when the third SA MTB Cup Series cross-country race takes place in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday.
The Team Provision rider, who finished sixth in the second race with a time of 1:41:31, said she was very satisfied with her placing and 10-minute time improvement over the first race.
“It was pretty drastic [improvement] from the first race and that was quite a bonus,” said Alcock.
Team Provision’s Jessica Alcock is looking for a good result when she competes in the third SA MTB Cup Series cross-country race in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday. Photo: Daniel Coetzee/ZCMC
She added that she had tried a new strategy for the second race and found it worked quite well for her, although her foot slipped off the pedal at the start.
“My start strategy will therefore be a little bit different for this race, while my goal is just to go out as hard as I can while thinking purely about all the obstacles.
“Hopefully that will be enough to bring me home with a top-seven finish in the elite women category.”
The 21-year-old said she enjoyed racing with the elites. As an U23 cyclist it helped improve the level of racing in her category so that when that level was reached it was not such a big shock or drastic change.
“With regards to the top contenders, I’ve decided to focus on my own race instead of the others on the start line as anything can happen,” said Alcock.
The Pretoria local enjoyed racing on the Cascades Mountain Bike Park track as it covered all the different elements for her as a cross-country (XCO) rider.
“It has a lot of technical elements that a XCO track should have, so it requires a lot of mental and physical focus and it always attracts really strong riders.”
She felt the different sections of the course, such as the steep climbs and switchbacks, would work in her favour and she was looking forward to taking it on.
“I’m expecting it to be a good and testing race overall. I love a good challenge, so that suits me well,” said Alcock.
She added that in order to achieve a good result she would need to have a smooth race and to keep her head.
“I believe my training is pretty much on a par with my races at the moment, so whatever happens on the day will happen.”
The final event in the four-part series takes place at Mankele Bike Park in Mbombela on June 16, before the grand finale in Bloemfontein on July 21.
“The main objective is the SA National XCO Championships and the SA Cup races work as a big stepping stone towards that.
“We use it to track our progress throughout the season so it’s really important when it comes to goals,” concluded Alcock, who is currently leading the Gauteng North XCO Series for elite women.
