Lauren Stephens (Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank) claimed her second UCI 1.1 victory of the season, taking out the Winston-Salem Classic road race with a late solo attack to distance her breakaway companions. The result completes a successful run of North American racing for Stephens, who won the Chrono Gatineau last week.
"Two .1's in two weekends in a row, it's pretty exciting," Stephens said. "I won the Chrono Gatineau last weekend, and to win this race - it's my first .1 road race - it's fantastic."
Stephens was part of a last-lack attack that also included Leah Thomas (Sho-Air Twenty20), Lauretta Hanson (UnitedHealthcare) and Lizzie Williams (Hagens Berman-Supermint).
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The four riders gained a significant advantage on the fractured peloton, and Stephens waited for the final climb to make her move. Thomas put up a fight to bring her back, but couldn't quite close the gap before the finish, and took second place, with Hanson out-sprinting Williams for the final podium spot just behind.
"I covered a move probably 5k out, and I wasn't expecting it to cause a break, but it did," Stephens explained. "I didn't have too much help in the break, but luckily we had a long downhill that allowed me to get some recovery, and it allowed me to do a little more work than I anticipated. Then I took it easy until where the hill plateaus ... then it gets pretty steep. I played it coy until then, and then took off on that last part and didn't let up until the finish line."
Thomas was part of an earlier breakaway that included Ruth Winder (UnitedHealthcare), Kristi Lay (Rally), Ingrid Drexel (Tibco), and Claire Rose (Visit Dallas DNA), that formed halfway through the race. They were caught by the group with Stephens before the last lap, sparking a series of attacks that provided a springboard for Thomas to launch the winning move. But her earlier efforts showed when Stephens attacked on the final climb.
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