Less than four seconds between Peanut Butter & Co. duo
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Alison Tetrick-Starnes (left) Cari Higgins (center) and Kristen McGrath sign commerative jerseys and posters for the Aspen Pro Women's Stage Race.(Image credit: Wil Matthews)
Kristin Armstrong (Peanut Butter & Co/Team Twenty12) arrived to the Maroon Bells venue in a light-hearted mood. She would finish second to teammate Kristen McGrath.(Image credit: Wil Matthews)
Kristin Armstrong (Peanut Butter & Co/Team Twenty12) arrived to the Maroon Bells venue in a light-hearted mood. She would finish second to teammate Kristen McGrath.(Image credit: Wil Matthews)
Jessica Phillips (Ajax Tavern Cycling Club) gets a last-minute seat adjustment from USA Cycling's James Stanfill before the start of the Maroon Bells Time Trial.(Image credit: Wil Matthews)
Emila Fahlin and Ally Stacher (HTC-Highroad) move a bike and stationary trainer to the shelter of shade. Though the time trial began at 5pm, the sun was direct and hot at the start, with temperatures cooling at the high-elevation finish.(Image credit: Wil Matthews)
Alison Tetrick-Starnes (Peanut Butter & Co/Team Twenty12) found herself at a disadvantage with the elevation, finishing an uncharacteristic 18th.(Image credit: Wil Matthews)
Amity Elliot (Team Kenda) climbs to the scenic Maroon Bells in stage one of the Aspen Pro Women's Stage Race.(Image credit: Wil Matthews)
The Maroon Bells Time Trial Course featured smooth pavement, thick Aspen forests, and thin air.(Image credit: Wil Matthews)
Amy Dombroski (Crank Brothers Race Club) raced without teammates as she looks to a busy cyclocross schedule this fall and winter.(Image credit: Wil Matthews)
Swedish National Time Trial champion Emila Fahlin (HTC-Highroad) finished 20th in the uphill course.(Image credit: Wil Matthews)
French cycling legend Jeannie Longo finished 15th on the uphill eight-mile course to Maroon Bells.(Image credit: Wil Matthews)
Amanda Miller (HTC-Highroad) races out of the thick Aspen forests toward the setting sun on the Maroon Bells time trial course. Miller finished fourth.(Image credit: Wil Matthews)
Eventual winner Kristen McGrath (Peanut Butter & Co/Team Twenty12) passes teammate Alisha Welsh, who started three places ahead of her.(Image credit: Wil Matthews)
Kristen McGrath (Peanut Butter & Co/Team Twenty12) on the way to a winning ride in the Maroon Bells Time Trial.(Image credit: Wil Matthews)
Colavita/Forno d'Asolo's Kristen Sanders hails from Florida but didn't let her sea-level home state limit her at the high-elevation time trial, finishing tenth.(Image credit: Wil Matthews)
Janel Holcomb (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo) finished third following a deep effort on the all-uphill course.(Image credit: Wil Matthews)
Kristin Armstromg (Peanut Butter & Co/Team Twenty12) chose a conventional road bike setup for the uphill Maroon Bells course, which features a steep final two kilometers. Armstrong finished second behind teammate Kristen McGrath.(Image credit: Wil Matthews)
Teammates Kristin Armstromg (left) and Kristen McGrath (Peanut Butter & Co/Team Twenty12) roll back to the start area following their dominating rides that netted the top two podium steps.(Image credit: Wil Matthews)
Kristen McGrath (Peanut Butter & Co/Team Twenty12) heads to the podium ceremony following her victory in stage one of the Aspen Pro Women's Stage Race.(Image credit: Wil Matthews)
Kristen McGrath (Peanut Butter & Co/Team Twenty12) gets the celebratory kisses from the Aspen Pro Women's Stage Race Podium Boys as Janel Holcomb and Kristin Armstrong look on.(Image credit: Wil Matthews)
Kristin McGrath (Peanut Butter & Co Twenty12) climbed into the top spot on the podium during stage one at the inaugural Aspen Women's Pro Race in Colorado. She won the opening time trial ahead of her teammate a former double world champion Kristin Armstrong in second and National Racing Calendar (NRC) leader Janel Holcomb (Colavita-Forno D'Asolo) in third.
"I was surprised to win given the nature of a very strong field here," McGrath told Cyclingnews. "I had good legs coming in and I am from altitude so I knew I had a bit of an advantage there. I am stoked to win it."
McGrath will lead the three-day omnium stage race into the second stage, a circuit race held in Snowmass on Tuesday. She is confident that her team can secure the overall title following the stage three criterium held in Aspen on Wednesday.
"I think that we are in a really good position to keep the jersey in our team," McGrath said. "Having first and second will give us a chance to play a couple of cards. We definitely want to win the overall for sure."
Former US National Time Trial Champion Jessica Phillips is promoting the Aspen Women's Pro Race. Although it is a relatively small field, there are multiple world-class talents participating in the inaugural event including French legend Jeannie Longo. "For sure, it is a good quality field," McGrath said.
The race kicked off in Maroon Bells with a 12.4km uphill time trial held at roughly 8000ft of elevation. McGrath, who is from Durango, is accustom to the higher elevation and said it played a large factor in the outcome of the time trial.
"The first part was rolling up hill and then we gradually started climbing and it got steeper at the top," McGrath said. "Any time it goes uphill, it will put a smile on my face."
Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
