Lauren Stephens wins women’s UCI five-day Tour de Bloom with Queen stage victory

Lauren Stephens (Aegis Biking Blended Group) earned the general title on the girls’s Tour de Bloom stage race, recapturing the race lead with a solo victory on the ultimate day of racing on a mountaintop end at Mission Ridge Resort, Washington. Held Might 2-6 for a twenty fifth version within the Cascade Mountains of north-central Washington, the Tour de Bloom elevated the elite girls’s race to UCI 2.2 degree for the primary time.

The previous US Professional highway race champion completed on the rostrum all 5 days, capturing three stage victories and the mountain classification title. It was her second UCI stage race victory of the spring, having swept all three classifications – GC, factors, mountains – at Tour of the Gila in April.

Alia Shafi (Fount Biking Guild) completed second on GC, 7:34 behind Stephens, however held off third-placed Paula Gil (Valkyer Biking) by a slim three seconds. Marlies Mejías (Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28) gained the factors classification for elite girls.

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Matthew Wilson (POA Racing) gained the lads’s total within the five-day stage race, which continued as a USA Biking-sanctioned occasion. The New Zealander, who got here recent off racing at Whiskey 50 mountain bike weekend with a Fats Tire Crit win and fifth within the backcountry race, closed out the GC title by profitable the ultimate three levels and secured the mountain classification along with his stage 5 victory.

Tim McBirney (Mike’s Bikes p/b Equator Coffees) completed 51 seconds again on GC for second, and Richard Arnopol (Undertaking Echelon Racing) was one other 14 seconds again for third total.

„We had numerous targets, primary was to win the GC. Quantity two was to win the race, quantity three was group GC. QOM was our subsequent objective too, and we received that one too so we’re joyful,“ Stephens informed organisers on the end on Tuesday.

„My group executed it so nicely. Ending up right here on the ski resort is thrilling, ending on the gravel makes for a terrific stage. It is thrilling to see we have now UCI races coming again to America.“

Tour de Bloom 2025 GC outcomes

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Alison Jackson wins GC at Gracia Orlová

Canadian Alison Jackson (EF Schooling-Oatly) delivered her first victory of the season on stage 2 at Gracia Orlová and used a podium end on stage 5 to safe the general title on the five-day Czech Republic stage race. 

With the stage victory on a 124.4km experience within the mountains, the previous Paris-Roubaix champion then erased an eight-second deficit to race chief Marieke Meert (Group Belgium) on the stage 3, utilizing a stable fifth-place end to enter a tie for the GC lead with ITT winner Jasmin Liechti (Nexetis). Jackson then completed prime 20 the ultimate two days, together with third on stage 5, to take the GC victory by 10 seconds over Liechti. Jackson additionally gained the factors classification.

„It was a youthful group on the market with me, and I suppose in some methods I took on extra of a mentor position,“ mentioned Jackson. „This race doesn’t enable radios, so there’s extra strain on the highway captain to make calls and talk clearly. That sort of setup places accountability on the riders to handle conditions within the second and we did simply that.“

Savilia Blunk and Riley Amos win Whiskey 50

Riley Amos (Trek-Kenetick-SRAM) and Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Group) gained the elite titles on the Whiskey Off-Street 50-mile backcountry race in Prescott, Arizona. 

The Whiskey Off-Street weekend was held for a twentieth version from April 25-27 in Prescott, Arizona, with a Professional Criterium, Professional Backcountry races and novice races on the third day. A professional purse of $34,000 was on the road. 

Blunk held off Alexis Skarda (Santa Cruz Bicycles-SRAM) to win the elite girls’s Fats Tire Criterium on Friday. She then went to work immediately within the endurance race Saturday setting the tempo early within the girls’s subject and earned the prize bonus on the prime of the primary climb. Skarda joined her on the following main climb at Copper Basin, however Blunk powered away for a solo win in 3:40:26, 7:24 quicker than Skarda.

Hannah Otto (SCOTT) rode alone for third place, with Erin Osbourne (Soul Journey) edging Deanna Mayles (SRAM) for fourth by six seconds.

„Had a terrific day at the moment on 50 miles of backcountry, struggling by lengthy climbs and ripping up and down the paths. Stoked to take the win and big thanks to Epic Rides (organisers) and Whiskey Off-Street for holding stable prize cash alive and nicely for the #MTB,“ Blunk posted to her Instagram. 

„It was a final minute choice to make it out to Prescott however I’m so glad I did. It’s very uncommon Cole [Paton] and I get to race the identical occasion anymore so when it really works it’s so enjoyable and feels “regular” to be lining as much as race collectively. „

Blunk’s accomplice Paton would issue into the lads’s backcountry race, however needed to accept third place, 1:30 behind winner Amos, whereas Bradyn Lange (Pinarello-Orange Seal) took second, 52 seconds behind Amos.

Amos and Lange rode as a duo and created a spot within the males’s subject within the first hour of racing, Andrew l’Esperance (Maxxis) main the chase group a number of seconds again. As soon as to Cranium Valley, Amos opened a spot, whereas Paton joined Lange for the chase. The highest three was then set the remainder of the way in which.

Sean Fincham (Maxxis) rode solo for fourth place whereas Matthew Wilson (Santa Cruz Bicycles-Shimano) grabbed the ultimate podium in a three-rider dash towards L’Esperance and Kyle Trudeau (Tenac Teaching). Wilson had gained the lads’s Fats Tire Crit Friday evening with a mid-race solo assault.