Riders from Virginia's Blue Ridge 2028 dominated the GC and all four stages at the 2025 Tucson Bicycle Classic(Image credit: Resul Kurtbedin Photography)
Anna Hicks won the leader's jersey in the ITT on stage 1 and held it across all stages (Image credit: Winsome Media)
Elite men's GC winner Patrick Welch(Image credit: Winsome Media)
Anna Hicks held the GC lead for elite women from start to finish at the 2025 Tucson Bicycle Classic, and along with teammates Sofia Arreola, Emily Ehrlich and Rylee McMullen the Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28 team swept the top four podium spots after four stages in Tucson, Arizona. The women's Continental squad also demonstrated their 'desert domination' with individual podiums - Hicks, Marlies Mejías-Garcia, McMullen and Arreola each earning one stage victory.
On the men's side, the leader's jersey changed hands in three of the four stages, Patrick Welch (Above and Beyond Cancer) was rewarded on Sunday with the GC title, short of any stage wins but rewarded as the most consistent rider. Nathan Cusack (Kelly Benefits Cycling) dominated three of the four stages but did not factor in the top GC standings.
Hicks and Elouan Gardot (Fount Racing) took the first leader's jerseys with wins in the 7.2km Marana Time Trial on Friday morning. Hicks was joined by teammates Emily Ehrlich and Rylee McMullen on an all-VBR TWENTY28 women's podium.
"TBC was a fantastic learning experience and an excellent chance to practice our teamwork. The TT was especially exciting for me—I’d never competed in such a short TT and surprised myself with the win," said Hicks.
"Each day, the team gave everything to help me retain the leader’s jersey. Their support through each stage was incredibly special, and I loved contributing to our daily stage wins. Our team has bonded remarkably quickly, and I’m excited to keep growing and learning alongside these amazing teammates."
New for 2025 was the addition of the Rio Nuevo Criterium presented by Visit Tucson. The inaugural race in downtown Tucson was dominated in the elite women's race by Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28, taking the top four spots in the race with Marlies Mejías-Garcia taking the win ahead of Sofia Arreola, McMullen and Ella Sabo. Hicks finished eighth and retained the race lead.
In the men's evening crit, Nathan Cusack of Kelly Benefits Cycling Team took the win in a bunch rush to the line. Nolan Church (Above and Beyond Cancer) was second and Luke Elphingstone (Kelly Benefit Strategies Elite) was third. Twenty-year-old Canadian Jonas Walton (Project Echelon Racing) finished in seventh, which pushed the ITT runner-up into the GC lead.
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After two stages on the opening day, stage 3 on Saturday was the traditional Sahuarita Road Race with both the pro women's and pro men's races completing four laps of the 20.3-mile rolling circuit.
VBR TWENTY28 controlled the race, winning the time bonus sprints and taking another podium sweep, this time with McMullen crossing the line first in the bunch sprint for the win and Arreolo and Mejías-Garcia securing second and third, respectively.
Marked by attacks and a mid-race two-rider breakaway, the men's stage 3 road race marked a second victory for 19-year-old Cusack. Adin Papell (iSpeed Pro Racing p/b DNA Cycling) edged Campbell Parrish (TaG Cycling RT) for second place on the podium.
Stage four and final GC
Headed to the final day of racing for the stage 4 Oro Valley Circuit Race presented by Rutledge Dental, Hicks and Walton held the GC leads, but only Hicks would emerge with the GC title. Contested on a 2.8-mile hilly loop through Naranja Park, the circuit race included 190 feet of elevation gain including a one-mile ascent of Musett Road, with sections of gradients reaching 7%.
Arreola took her podium of the race on Sunday, winning stage 4 while Mejías-Garcia was second, with Tucson's Cara O'Neill (Bicycle Ranch Tucson) was third in a six-rider bunch sprint. From a 12-rider trailing group, Hicks was the next best-placed VBR TWENTY28 rider in 12th, which was enough to solidify her GC win.
There was a bit of reshuffling behind her on the GC podium, but Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY24 swept the next three spots - Arreola in second, Ehrlich in third and McMullen in fourth. Kimberly Stoveld (Automatic Abus Racing), who was fourth in the ITT, took fifth overall.
Young US rider Cusack made it three-for-three with the circuit race victory, winning a 20-rider bunch sprint ahead of another 19-year-old Elias Saigh (Team California p/b Verge) and iSpeed's Papell. Walton would finish in a second group of riders 14 seconds behind Cusack.
Most significant was Walton's finish Sunday in that second chase group. He lost seven seconds to Welch, who was third in the ITT, and fell to fifth overall Welch gained enough time to earn the GC win, going two seconds better than Carson Mattern (TaG Cycling RT) who was second, and five seconds better than third-placed Gardon.
Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. She has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast). Her favorite road and gravel rides are around horse farms in north Georgia (USA) and around lavender fields in Provence (France), and some mtb rides in Park City, Utah (USA).
