Lily Williams (Hagens Berman-Supermint) out-kicked Lauretta Hanson (UnitedHealthcare) to take the Sunny King Criterium, the first race on the USA Cycling Pro Road Tour, with Harriet Owen (The Meteor/Intelligentsia) taking the final podium spot.
"I'm really excited. It's only my second PRT victory," said Williams. "I started racing last spring, so it definitely affirms that I belong here. I'm really pleased how it went tonight. I definitely did not expect to win.
"Lauretta went, and I was in a pretty good position to follow. I was able to jump on and get to her wheel about three-quarters of a lap later. Then the third girl, Harriet, was on us pretty quickly after that," Williams said. "We all worked together pretty well, and we were able to put some time in (for the lead). For a while, I thought that the peloton was going to catch us because they were on the same stretch as us. Then I realized we had a good lead."
A 30-rider bunch sprint behind Owen was won by ISCorp's Samantha Schneider, last year's winner.
"We came to be aggressive, hoping to take the crown back," Schneider said. "We missed the (winning) move, unfortunately, but we were still able to get the field sprint for fourth. We started the season on a relatively high note, I would say.
"It was a pretty windy day and chilly. We had a rider floating in between for a while, just couldn't quite get there. That's bike racing," added Schneider.
Full Results
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lily Williams (Hagens Berman | Supermint) | 0:59:49 |
| 2 | Lauretta Hanson (UnitedHealthcare) | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
| 3 | Harriet Owen (THE METEOR // INTELLIGENTSIA) | 0:00:02 |
| 4 | Samantha Schneider (ISCorp Pro Cycling) | 0:01:03 |
| 5 | Erica Allar (Rally Cycling) | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
| 6 | Laura Jorgensen (Feed Hungry Kids Project) | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
| 7 | Kendall Ryan (Team TIBCO-Silicon Val) | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
| 8 | Josie Talbot (ISCorp Pro Cycling) | 0:01:04 |
| 9 | Kyrstin Bluhm (Papa John's Racing p/b TREK) | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
| 10 | Jessica Mundy (THE METEOR // INTELLIGENTSIA) | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
| 11 | Jennifer Caicedo (SC Competitive Cyclist) | 0:01:05 |
| 12 | Elizabeth Banks (UnitedHealthcare) | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
| 13 | Kat Sweatt (Mellow Mushroom Racing) | 0:01:06 |
| 14 | Carolyn Defoore (Wolfpack p/b Hyperthreads) | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
| 15 | Judah Sencenbaugh | Row 14 - Cell 2 |
| 16 | Cynthia Frazier (THE METEOR // INTELLIGENTSIA) | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
| 17 | Caroline Baur (ISCorp Pro Cycling) | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
| 18 | Christina Gokey-Smith (Colavita|Bialetti Racing) | Row 17 - Cell 2 |
| 19 | Stephanie Nave (OrthoCarolina Winston Women’s Cycling) | 0:01:07 |
| 20 | Lauren Hall (UnitedHealthcare) | Row 19 - Cell 2 |
| 21 | Diana Penuela (UnitedHealthcare) | Row 20 - Cell 2 |
| 22 | Madison Kelly (Papa John's Racing p/b TREK) | Row 21 - Cell 2 |
| 23 | Starla Teddergreen (Hagens Berman | Supermint) | Row 22 - Cell 2 |
| 24 | Janelle Cole (UnitedHealthcare) | 0:01:08 |
| 25 | Leah Thomas (UnitedHealthcare) | Row 24 - Cell 2 |
| 26 | Yussely Soto (ISCorp Pro Cycling) | 0:01:09 |
| 27 | Tina Pic (Colavita|Bialetti Racing) | Row 26 - Cell 2 |
| 28 | Megan Heath (Rally Cycling) | Row 27 - Cell 2 |
| 29 | Kate Kirkpatrick (Mellow Mushroom Racing) | Row 28 - Cell 2 |
| 30 | Julie Kuliecza (Hagens Berman | Supermint) | 0:01:10 |
| 31 | Jessie Hodges (ISCorp Pro Cycling) | Row 30 - Cell 2 |
| 32 | Miriam Brouwer (Cyclery Racing) | 0:01:11 |
| 33 | Kristen Arnold (THE METEOR // INTELLIGENTSIA) | Row 32 - Cell 2 |
| 34 | Emily Newsom (Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley) | 0:01:13 |
| 35 | Kathryn Buss (Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley) | 0:01:14 |
| 36 | Elizabeth Harden (Papa John's Racing p/b TREK) | 0:01:15 |
| 37 | Stephanie Smith | 0:02:07 |
| 38 | Debbie Prouty (Hilton Head Cycling/Robson Fore) | Row 37 - Cell 2 |
| 39 | Arden Stelly (OrthoCarolina Winston Women’s) | Row 38 - Cell 2 |
| 40 | Ayesha McGowan (Northern California/Nevada Cycling) | Row 39 - Cell 2 |
| 41 | Merrill Thierman (Dornier Racing) | Row 40 - Cell 2 |
| 42 | Victoria Kanizer | Row 41 - Cell 2 |
| 43 | Loren Morgan (Georgia Bicycle Racing Association) | Row 42 - Cell 2 |
| 44 | Lori Nedescu (Welland Racing) | Row 43 - Cell 2 |
| 45 | Deborah Paine (Feed Hungry Kids Project) | Row 44 - Cell 2 |
| 46 | Jennifer Wagner (Mellow Mushroom Racing) | Row 45 - Cell 2 |
| 47 | Amelia Kirby (Welland Racing) | Row 46 - Cell 2 |
| 48 | Paige Kostanecki (NSMI RACING) | Row 47 - Cell 2 |
| 49 | Alex Christofalos (CTH Performance Project) | Row 48 - Cell 2 |
| 50 | Laura Van Gilder (Mellow Mushroom Racing) | Row 49 - Cell 2 |
| 51 | Moriah Swan | Row 50 - Cell 2 |
| 52 | Tabitha Sherwood (Mellow Mushroom Racing) | Row 51 - Cell 2 |
| 53 | Jennifer Wakeman (Welland Racing) | Row 52 - Cell 2 |
| 54 | Sarah Guilbert (Welland Racing) | Row 53 - Cell 2 |
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