Abbott climbs into Women's Prestige series lead

Mara Abbott (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12) claimed the lead of the Women's Prestige Cycling Series after the Tour of the Gila, the second of four events for the season.

Abbott's overall victory in the Tour of the Gila pushed her to the top of the individual rankings, where she leads by 66 points over Alison Powers (Team Vera Bradley Foundation) and a further 33 points over Redlands Classic winner Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (HTC-Columbia).

Abbott also leads the Best Young Rider (Under 26) classification and her Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12 team is tops in the team category.

The next event in the Women's Prestige Series will be the Nature Valley Grand Prix on June 16-20. The series concludes with the Cascade Cycling Classic in July.

Individual Classification

1 Mara Abbott (Peanut Butter & CoTWENTY12) 319
2 Alison Powers (Team Vera Bradley Foundation) 253
3 Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (HTC-Columbia) 220
4 Katharine Carroll (Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY 12) 175
5 Robin Farina (Team Vera Bradley Foundation) 165

Best Young Rider (Under 26) Classification

1 Mara Abbott (Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY 12) 440
2 Rebecca Much (TIBCO/To the Top Pro Cycling Team) 231
3 Chloe Forsman (Specialized D4W/Bicycle Haus) 220
4 Melanie Meyers (Specialized D4W/Bicycle Haus) 209
5 Alison Starnes (TIBCO/To the Top Pro Cycling Team) 198

Sprint Classification

1 Carmen Small (Colavita/Baci p/b Cooking Light) 252
2 Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (HTC-Columbia) 220
3 Coryn Rivera (Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY 12) 165
4 Shelley Evans (Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY 12) 165
5 Andrea Dvorak (Colavita/Baci p/b Cooking Light) 132

Teams Classification

1 Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY 12 873
2 Team Vera Bradley Foundation 654
3 Colavita/Baci p/b Cooking Light 475
4 HTC-Columbia 369
5 Webcor Builders 326