Lauren Stephens (EF Training-TIBCO-SVB) surged away from her breakaway companions on the ultimate climb and received stage 2 for professional girls atop Mount Sequoyah on the Walmart Joe Martin Stage Race.
Emily Ehrlich (Virginia’s Blue Ridge-Twenty24) accelerated and handed Emilie Fortin (Cynisca Biking) simply earlier than the end banner to seize second place, as each riders completed 37 seconds behind Stephens.
The trio broke away with a fourth rider, Diana Peñuela (DNA Professional Biking), after the queen of the mountains marker half-way by way of the race and by no means seemed again. Remnants of the peloton crossed the end above Fayetteville, Arkansas nicely behind the trio, Sarah Van Dam (DNA Professional Biking) and Maeghan Easler (Roxo Racing) the one pair to cease the clock underneath three minutes, at 2:59 again.
Stage 1 winner Skylar Schneider (L39ion of Los Angeles) completed with a small group of riders in ninth place, 3:02 behind Stephens, and misplaced the chief’s pink jersey to the EF Training rider. Each Stephens and Ehrlich began the day within the prime 10 of the GC, Stephens 11 seconds off the perfect time in fourth and Ehrlich 13 seconds again in seventh.
The way it unfolded
The second stage at Joe Martin Stage Race supplied the ladies’s peloton a 66.5-mile (107.1km) race out of Walker Park in Fayetteville, after which again into town limits for the standard steep climb of Mount Sequoyah.
The lolly-pop-shaped route included two sprints, one at 13.9 miles (22km) and in addition on the end, together with two QOMs at 36 miles (56.7km) and in addition on the end.
In contrast to the boys’s stage 2 which befell earlier on Friday, the professional girls’s race began with sunny skies and a flurry of assaults on the big loop from groups Amy D Basis and DNA Professional Biking. The peloton remained intact for the primary 25 miles, largely because of the pace-setting by Cynisca Biking and EF Training-TIBCO-SVB, because the peloton descended into Devils Den.
Emily Newsom (Roxo Racing) crashed on the descent with organisers reporting that she was transported to hospital.
On the prime of the QOM, Emily Ehrlich (Virginia’s Blue Ridge-Twenty24) took full factors forward of Emilie Fortin (Cynisca Biking) and Lauren Stephens (EF Training- TIBCO-SVB).
Because the second half of the race developed after the labeled climb, Stephens set the tempo together with Fortin, Ehrlich and Colombian champion Diana Peñuela (DNA Professional Biking). After half-hour of driving, they held a 30-second hole.
The quartet started to unravel with 15 miles to go, Peñuela shedding contact on the rolling terrain. The trio of Stephens, Fortin and Ehrlich pulled away rapidly, leaving the DNA Professional rider 25 seconds again, whereas the peloton had 2:15 to make up.
Because the trio made its approach again into Fayetteville, they’d pushed the hole from the peloton to as a lot as 3:45, establishing a battle for the ultimate six miles to the end, the ultimate third of that tackling pitches of 13-15.5%.
On the backside of the ascent and with the roads nonetheless dry, Ehrlich remained seated whereas Stephens and Fortin stood on the pedals, however not one of the riders confirmed outward indicators of fatigue.
With 2km to go, Stephens attacked on the entrance and rode away from her breakaway companions. Erhlich and Schuetter matched pedal strokes on the ultimate kilometre by way of the neighbourhood streets, however by no means obtained the EF Training rider again of their sights.
Outcomes
Outcomes powered by FirstCycling
