A day after winning the national championship time trial, Amber Neben put her soloing skills on display again in Knoxville, Tennessee, claiming the American national road race title on Sunday.
The 42-year-old Veloconcept rider jumped clear of the peloton on the sixth of eight 12.7km laps to bridge to breakaway rider Emily Newsom (Team Elevate Racing), and ultimately soloed away to seal the victory with a comfortable margin.
Coryn Rivera (Team Sunweb) pounded her handlebars in frustration after winning the bunch sprint - second place for the third year in a row - 11 seconds short of catching Neben. UnitedHealthcare's Ruth Winder rounded out the podium in third.
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Neben was speechless at winning her second title in a row this weekend, five years after her last time trial title and a full 14 years since her last win in the nationals road race. According to the race announcer, Neben is the first woman to do the nationals double - something she found surprising.
"That's really cool actually. It's beyond words," Neben told Cyclingnews. "I am still a little bit in shock. My intention today was just to come out and play and ride hard, there was no pressure - I have no team here, no expectations from that sense. I was going to take a risk at some point, I didn't know where. I was going to let my instincts direct that. It worked out well."
Rivera, however, was heartbroken that she finished second for the third year in a row in a race she has been targeting since joining the elite ranks. "Third time was not a charm this time around," she bemoaned. "It's definitely really frustrating for sure. I guess it's always the one you want the most that you can't always get. All props to Amber, it was a huge ride from her."
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