Eliot Jackson
Eliot Jackson
At the age of four years old Eliot Jackson was given a hand-me-down motocross bike from his older brother Andrew which set him on his trajectory of a life on two wheels. By age 15 he had won four MX National Championships, but like most teenagers his mind wandered and he wanted to try something new. At age 18 he started getting into DH MTB racing. Only two years later Eliot found himself lining up for his first World Cup Downhill at Val di Sole, Italy in 2010.
After seven years of the World Cup grind Eliot finished up his World Cup racing career with a 10th place finish at the 2017 Mont Sainte Anne DH, and from there he transitioned to doing the more 'fun' events like Crankworx and TransCascadia, while also starting to hone his broadcasting skills as a race analyst. Job opportunities were presenting themselves and things were rolling along nicely.
Then in the spring of 2020 as the protests against racial injustice and police brutality gripped the nation, Eliot turned his own life upside down with a single 11 minute Instagram video post. A very complex and personal post that addressed his views on the cycling community’s false portrayal of inclusivity and the basic misconception that there is no racism in cycling. After being blown away by all the conversations, interviews and support that followed, Eliot put all his thoughts and words into action by starting the Grow Cycling Foundation to help create a more inclusive cycling community. He's not done with riding and racing and broadcasting, but he now has a much bigger map to navigate these days.