Skylar Schneider (L39ION of Los Angeles) won the hilly opening day of the Joe Martin Stage Race, outkicking Heidi Franz (Rally Cycling) and Veronica Evers (Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank) at the line in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The trio finished the 60-mile route in 2:51:22.
Two seconds back were Clara Honsinger (Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank) and Anet Barrera Esparaz (3T/ Q+M Cycling), who finished two seconds back. The next groups of riders would cross the finish more three minutes later.
“TIBCO was setting the pace so I stayed behind them. We were nine riders coming into the QOM, and I countered after the QOM points, which took us to five riders going to the line,” Schneider said.
“I was patient and waited until about 200 metres to start my sprint, and in the end it worked out. Looking forward to the next three days, it only gets harder so we will have a big job to do but we will try our best."
The women’s route for the Mount Gaylor Road Race included 3,700 feet of climbing, starting in Cedarville, Arkansas. After a one-year hiatus because of COVID-19 pandemic, the Joe Martin Stage Race returns as the first of two UCI stage races for men and women in the US this year, having moved from a spring time slot to August 26-29.
Franz earned honours as the mountains classification leader, while Maggie Coles-Lyster (DNA Pro Cycling), sixth on the stage, took the lead in the best young rider classification. Ewers will wear the points classification jersey on stage 2, as race leader Schneider is on top of that competition.
Once across the finish line in Fayetteville, Schneider enjoyed her first UCI win in four years.
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“It's been a long time, with a lot of ups and downs since then,” Schneider said. “I came here confident, I’ve been training really hard and using the crits to gain fitness. I conserved energy as long as possible until we got to the main climb.”
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