Lauren Stephens (Cynisca Cycling) climbed to a solo victory on the opening day of Tour of the Gila and took the first leader’s jersey for the UCI women’s category. Nadia Gontova (DNA Pro Cycling), the recent winner of the Redlands Bicycle Classic, finished second, just nine seconds back. Marcela Prieto (Steve Tilford Foundation) secured third, 1:01 off the pace.
The trio of riders had formed the breakaway of the day on Stage 1 Mogollon Road Race p/b Grant County and with half of the 71 miles (114km) covered had pushed ahead of the peloton by as much as 12:50.
