Powers claims second US title in thrilling road race finale

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Alison Powers (UnitedHealthcare) sealed her second national championship title of the USA Cycling Professional National Championships, adding a road race victory to her emphatic time trial win in a thrilling finale in Chattanooga.

Powers made a late-race attack on the final short circuits and soloed away from the leading group to win with a 15-second margin over chasers Megan Guarnier (Boels-Dolmans) and Evelyn Stevens (Specialized-lululemon).

Powers now holds all three USA titles, with her 2013 criterium national championship defense coming in August.

The professional and Cat 1/2 women raced for 104km that included three short starting circuits, two longer loops over Lookout Mountain, and another three final circuits that were 8.6km apiece, and included a short climb over Kent Street.

Rachel Byus (FCS|Zngine p/b Mr. Restore) kicked off the day with an attack at the end of the first starting circuit. Her teammate Mia Loquai countered that move but was followed by Amber Gaffney (Twenty16 Pro Cycling). The pair gained a minute with two short circuits to go.

They gained another minute as they entered the first of two long laps. Heading into the base of the Lookout Mountain, and with a strong field of climbers behind them, Gaffney pedalled away from Loquai and tried to get over the top before being caught.

Race favorites amassed at the front of the field with Stevens, Mara Abbott (UnitedHealthcare) and Andrea Dvorak (Tibco-To The Top) among them. They pulled back 30 seconds to Gaffney half way up the climb and caught her before the start of the tricky descent.

The main field dwindled to about 20 riders as they reached the downtown portion of the circuit and climbed over the new Kent Street hill for the first time. Powers made her first attack on the other side of the hill, through a technical corner, perhaps as a practice run before the final short circuits.

She opened a small gap and was followed by Janel Holcomb (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies). Stevens bridged across to the pair and the breakaway looked like it could have been a decisive one, however, the main field of roughly 17 riders worked hard to catch them before the start of the second and last climb over Lookout Mountain.

Katie Hall (UnitedHealthcare) attacked on the climb and got a small gap ahead of a large chase group that included her teammates Powers and Abbott along with Lauren Hall, Janel Holcomb and defending champion Jade Wilcoxson (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies), Stevens, Tayler Wiles and Carmen Small (Specialized-lululemon), E. Scotti Wilborne and Krista Doebel-Hickok (Tibco), Abigail Mickey and Lauren Komanski (Twenty16 Pro Cycling) and Guarnier.

Wiles, who won the Redlands Bicycle Classic earlier this season and placed fourth in the time trial championships, put her strength to the test to try and catch Hall, taking pressure off her Specialized-lululemon teammates.

Hall started the three short finishing circuits with a minute advantage and Wiles joined her before the start of the second circuit. Their gap held for most of that lap, however, Powers, Hall, Stevens and Guarnier bridged across just before they reached the Kent Street climb.

Powers immediately attacked on the descent off of the climb and gained a small lead as she rounded the final lap. She held a 10-second gap on chasers Stevens and Gaurnier on the final climb over Kent Street but increased her lead to 15 seconds as she approached the finish line in downtown Chattanooga.

Full Results