March 16, 2007 – Linda Jackson has come a long way from Nepean, Ontario, to Los Altos, California, forging an enviable life within a highly competitive field – as both a Silicon Valley businesswoman and Director Sportif for the elite pro and developmental women’s Team TIBCO. Despite such pressures, Jackson’s Canadian sensibilities and congeniality were readily apparent when I met her and her new team at the 2007 Tour of California prologue. She gave me a wide smile and handshake before knowing about our plans to call for an interview two weeks later.

Jackson is a woman who has re-made herself on her own terms, leaving her investment banking position at Alex. Brown & Sons, and a 6-figure income in 1993. She opted instead to pursue her passion of becoming a top international cyclist and making the Canadian Olympic team that would compete at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. Atlanta became another turning point for Jackson as her ill-fated shot at an Olympic medal, at the not-so tender age of 38, became a well-publicized wish-fulfillment after she went down hard over the handlebars after another rider’s mistake.

Jackson was twice named the top North American female cyclist while winning six National Canadian Championships, and decided at 42 years young to go for the family rather than try out for another Olympic spot for the 2000 Sydney Games. We caught up with the hottest “new” Canadian DS in the USA to find out more about Team TIBCO and Jackson’s plans.

Do you feel that the San Francisco Peninsula offers the deepest cycling talent pool in the US, and if so, how did you approach forming this new TIBCO team?

Linda Jackson: Silicon Valley is, as one venture capitalist put it, a “˜cycling Mecca’. Everyone rides here. There are so many good riders out there on training rides it’s scary. After I retired from competitive cycling, I went back to investment banking, and took a few years off cycling to try to start a family. Unfortunately, while women can perform well in sports into their 40s, childbearing becomes more difficult for some. I was one of those cases. After several heartbreaks, we decided that having children was just not in the cards for us. I gradually got back on my bike.

A friend of mine encouraged me to start racing again. I did that, and starting riding with a local women’s team, PABW. However, I quickly accepted what I already knew in my heart, that I had already become the best I could be on the bike, and I was not interested in performing at a level below what I had been.

Then an interesting thing happened that brought me to where I am today. A 23-year-old rider named Amber Rais joined our local team; she had a lot of talent, and a lot of passion for the sport. I started coaching her and quickly realized that I had a passion for coaching that rivaled my passion for competing. Since that season, I have been 100% committed to coaching and directing.

We have created a pro-level team that is making waves on the national scene, and we have a development team that is providing new cyclists with the opportunity to develop into the next generation of Olympic hopefuls. We are very grateful to our title sponsor TIBCO, (NASDAQ: TIBX), a leading business integration and process management software company that enables real-times business), for their support.

They got us going last year, becoming our title sponsor this year. We could not have done it without them. I relied on my investment banking contacts and Silicon Valley relationships to secure several additional Silicon Valley sponsors (full list at www.teamtibco.com) and here we are, Team TIBCO! We will be competing in a full national racing calendar (NRC) this year, and plan to add an international calendar next year.

Your vision to develop future international talent and Olympic winners echoes your stellar career. As DS what do you look for in your riders, and without giving away trade secrets, how are you fine-tuning their talents and shortcomings on and off the bike? Visualization? Yoga? Pilates? Nutrition”¦?

LJ: You are right. As a coach, I am looking for athletes that want to become the best that they can be. As a DS, I am looking for that same mind-set, but also for an athlete that has the potential to become a future Olympian or top-level international cyclist. I think that the main thing that I add in both situations is that I really get to know my athletes. I understand what makes them tick. I learn what motivates them and what derails their focus. I try to keep them focused on the long-term goal, while at the same time accomplishing all of the short term goals along the way. I try to help them believe in themselves and develop the self-confidence that is so critical to becoming a top competitor. Stretching/yoga/nutrition; that’s all important stuff, but they had better be doing all of that just as part of the basics!

Younger talent: do you have any type of farm team or scouts within the local high schools?

LJ: My development team is based on collegiate riders right now. The riders are as young as 20 (almost half the age I was when I started!), and I work with them to give them the skills/experience to be able to race in the Pro 1-2 women’s races. My longer term goal does include going to the high schools and creating interest in the sport at that level.

Are there any financial incentives for these girls or support like the Fast Freddy (Rodriguez) Foundation (in Marin) in the San Francisco Peninsula?

LJ: USA cycling does provide grants for development riders, I looked into it last year. They are more focused on the under-20 age group, so at least that opportunity is there when I am ready to develop the high school component.

Do you see strong interest in their competing in a sport which draws less press and sponsorship than say girls soccer?

LJ: All I can say is that there does seem to be a lot of interest in the sport here in Silicon Valley. Cycling may always be a sport that attracts those athletes that are passionate about it, rather than attracting athletes interested in making a fortune. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, is it?

A fateful crash and resulting injury at the 1996 Olympics dashed your medal dreams, but you kept your sense of humor and focus. Does your attitude towards achieving personal goals, whether it be an Olympic medal or starting a family, affect your team’s perspective instilling a more mature edge as to real values within a team?

LJ: I think that my coaching practice does reflect my attitude toward personal goals. I coach several athletes that are in college, male and female, and while I want them to train/race hard and be the best that they can be on the bike, I always insist that their education comes first. They can race their bikes for the next twenty years if they want, but now is the time for their education. I have one athlete that is taking architectural design at Stanford University, a very demanding program. He approached me a few months ago and told me that he thought he was going to drop out of the program. I asked him why, and he responded that it was too tough, he was working really hard, and he needed more time to train. Telling me that something is “too tough”, and that you want to quit, is never a good idea. I am glad to say that he is still in the program!

As far as Team TIBCO goes, I let my riders know that all I ask is that they do their best. I had a rider crash pretty hard last weekend, and it took her out of contention for the G.C. I certainly can relate to situations like that, and I think that it is helpful to me as a Director to have had that experience. My heart sinks whenever a rider hits the pavement, but I focus on getting them out of their head, and back into the race mentally. When the race does turn chaotic, I do my best to stay calm and focused; but who ever knew how stressful it can also be to follow a bike race in the team car! Luckily I have a really good manager that is more of the “˜glue’ factor when the races get crazy than I am!

Your team is sponsored by a California software company (TIBCO), which, like CSC, also from California, sponsors an elite pro team: Do you think more Silicon Valley companies will be investing in cycling teams? And save for T-Mobile, why do you think more men’s elite pro teams don’t also sponsor elite pro female teams?

LJ: I think that there is a huge opportunity for Silicon Valley companies to sponsor cycling teams. The sport is incredibly popular out here, and it can be a real business development tool to be associated with a top level cycling team. In addition to TIBCO, we have several additional financial sponsors including Fenwick & West, Goldman Sachs, Greenberg Traurig, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Monitor Ventures and Silicon Valley Bank. These companies are icons in Silicon Valley! As far as sponsoring men’s teams vs. women’s teams I think there are a lot of reasons why you will see more sponsorship of women’s teams. For starters, women are the actual purchasers of a lot of consumer and financial products. In addition, I think women’s cycling has a great image; women are out there trying to be the best that they can be out of passion for the sport, not necessarily for a huge pay cheque!

Tell us about your training camp(s) and have you also considered hiring any outside talent to bring a surprise element into the team’s pre-race experience during training camp?

LJ: We were happy just to have a weekend training camp at my house this year. Our budget priority is to get the women to a full national calendar this year to provide them with the experience they need to develop into top international cyclists. Next year we will add an international calendar, as it is really important for our riders to get UCI racing experience and points to meet USA cycling qualification standards for the Olympics and World Championships. After we have achieved all of that, maybe we can incorporate some of these elements, but it is not high on my list right now. Our team is already incredibly cohesive and has a great feeling about it. As Dave Towles (race announcer) said last week at the Central Valley Classic, you can feel the love oozing out of Team TIBCO. I hope to always keep this feeling in the team.

Webcor dropped their men’s pro team but kept their women’s pro team and Webcor’s Christine Thorburn just took the GC last weekend at the Central Valley Classic, against a strong field that included Team TIBCO’s brightest star, Brooke Miller. Are you more interested in developing tomorrow’s hopefuls like Miller than in signing a known talent like Thorburn who actually resembles you in terms of winning big races?

LJ: Right now, tomorrow’s hopefuls like Brooke Miller. The issue is, though, that I need to build up the team to keep up with her! Her progress has been amazing. As her coach, I know what we have done in training. We have only scratched the surface with her in terms of her potential. I may need to strike a compromise next year and bring on some experienced riders like a Christine, to round out the team. It is an interesting analogy though. Webcor was built up around Christine, and that is what we are doing with Team TIBCO. Whoever the riders are that I bring on, they will be passionate about the sport and they will be team players. I hope to keep the cohesive, warm & fuzzy team environment that we have going on.

US Olympic trials for Beijing 2008 will be coming this year. While it’s still early in the season who on Team TIBCO looks like a possible Olympic team hopeful – and who might surprise us?

LJ: Brooke is an obvious contender for 2008. The issue is always the political process. As long as Brooke keeps performing, and follows my philosophy of “˜just let your legs do the talking’ she stands a real chance. I have other riders on the team as well that will surprise you, but I don’t want to spoil any surprises!

Will you ever return to competing or do you find running a team, a business, and your personal life is your ultimate fulfillment?

LJ: I am so done competing! I do a few local races a year for fun. Last year I did this really small race, San Ardo, and won it off the front by about 9 minutes. It was a fleeting reminder of how good it feels to race your bike hard and win. Since then I have been incredibly busy with my coaching practice, home life, and Team TIBCO. Now, I get my fulfillment by helping other riders achieve their goals, and getting them to a point where they can experience the same feeling and success that I did. I could not be happier.

For a complete bio on Linda Jackson’s short yet illustrious career click here.