Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialised) sprinted away from Melisa Rollins (Virginia’s Blue Ridge-TWENTY24) within the remaining two miles of the 104-mile Massive Sugar Gravel elite ladies’s contest and rode solo throughout the road for the victory in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Rollins trailed 15 seconds to take second place, whereas Cecily Decker (Scuderia-Pinarello) secured third place, one other 24 seconds again. 2022 Massive Sugar champion Paige Onweller had chased the three breakaway riders within the remaining 10 miles and settled for fourth. Lauren De Crescenzo accomplished the highest 5.
Villafañe, Onweller and Rollins entered the seventh and remaining race of the Life Time Grand Prix off-road collection within the prime 4, with Villafañe holding an usurmountable lead. With win, Villafañe confirmed her second total Grand Prix title, having received three of the six races by which she competed.
The way it unfolded
With a separate begin 10 minutes after the elite males, 26 of 48 riders within the elite ladies’s discipline remained collectively on the entrance via the primary time examine at mile marker 20.
As soon as passing via the bluff’s part exterior Pineville with one-third of the space behind them, the entrance group had whittled right down to 13 riders. The chaser group, 2:03 again, included Lauren De Crescenzo, Jenna Rinehart, Crystal Anthony, Deanna Mayles, Whitney Allison and Maude Farrell.
Falling off the tempo was Sarah Lange, using alone 5 minutes behind the leaders. Lange entered the occasion tied for seventh total (with Sarah Sturm) within the Grand Prix.
On the midway level and the race headed on the northern-most part in Missouri, 9 US riders remained within the entrance group – Sturm, Alexis Skarda, Melisa Rollins, Flavia Oliveira Parks, Erin Huck, Sofia Gomez Villafañe, Cecily Decker, Paige Onweller, and Stella Hobbs.
Only one minute again with 48 miles to journey, De Crescenzo was closing down the hole in a solo effort. She had Michaela Thompson simply in entrance of her, and one other 22 seconds again had been a trio of Allison, Rinehart and Farrell hammeringin the chase.
Passing throughout the longest sustained climb of the race, a five-mile ascent within the Flag Spring Conservation Space of Missouri, De Crescenzo and Thompson made contact with the leaders, now 11 sturdy three-and-a-half hours into the race and 38 miles to go.
Huck attacked because the race re-entered Arkansas with 24 miles to go, however was quickly rejoined by seven others, the lead group together with Onweller, Rollins, Villafañe, Decker, De Crescenzo, Skarka and Hobbs. Thompson dangled 30 seconds again and different contenders had been scattered one other 15 seconds again, together with Rinehart and Sturm.
Over the following 12 miles with quite a lot of descending, the trio of Villafañe, Rollins and Decker broke free as they gained 40 seconds over Onweller. It proved to be decisive, as the remainder of the earlier lead group started to fade, trailing Onweller by 1:14 and solely 8 miles to go.
Two sharp, uphill kickers left the lead trio to determine who had the legs remaining on the end line in Bentonville. Decker was the primary to resign after which Villafañe took the ultimate dash to safe the race win and collection victory.
Outcomes
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High 20
Rank
Rider
Time
1
Sofia Gomez Villafane
5:32:20
2
Melisa Rollins
5:32:35
3
Cecily Decker
5:32:59
4
Paige Onweller
5:33:36
5
Lauren De Crescenzo
5:35:54
6
Erin Huck
5:36:44
7
Stella Hobbs
5:37:18
8
Michaela Thompson
5:38:57
9
Maude Farrell
5:39:18
10
Jenna Rinehart
5:39:19
11
Alexis Skarda
5:39:27
12
Flavia Oliveira Parks
5:40:41
13
Sarah Sturm
5:41:25
14
Whitney Allison
5:45:45
15
Emily Newsom
5:48:31
16
Crystal Anthony
5:48:49
17
Sarah Lange
5:48:49
18
Deanna Mayles
5:52:26
19
Hannah Otto
5:52:54
20
Peta Mullens
5:53:41
