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Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Cannondale) secured the stars-and-stripes jersey after successful the elite ladies’s highway race on the USA Cycling Road National Championships in Charleston, West Virginia.
Faulkner made her successful transfer on the ultimate climb and soloed to the victory 55 seconds forward of late-race breakaway companion and runner-up Ruth Winder (Human Powered Health).
Faulkner’s teammate Coryn Labecki gained the chase-group dash for third place, which crossed the road 5:39 again, giving EF Education-Cannondale two on the rostrum.
How it unfolded
The elite ladies confronted 127 kilometres within the highway race of the USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships in Charleston, West Virginia. The 21.2km lap had two important climbs that proved decisive all through the race.
In the early laps, a brisk tempo set by Cynisca and EF Education-Cannondale steadily whittled down the peloton.
Attacks got here from Taylor Kuyk-White (Goldman Sachs ETFs) and Allison Mrugal (Cynisca) within the second lap, Laurel Quinones (Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty24) on lap three and Heidi Franz (Lifeplus-Wahoo) en path to the beginning of lap 5.
Franz opened up the most important hole, gaining 1:15 earlier than a gaggle of riders got here throughout on the primary climb on the lap, together with Kristen Faulkner and Coryn Labecki (EF Education-Cannondale), Nicole Steinmetz and Lauren Stephens (Cynisca), Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Health) and, after briding throughout between the climbs, Lauren De Crescenzo (Factor/The Feed/Castelli/Maxxis/PER).
On the second climb of the penultimate lap, Stephens, Edwards, Labecki, and Faulkner pulled away on the climb, making for an elite quartet with little impetus to chase behind.
Faulkner made a transfer on the descent heading into the bell lap and drew out Edwards, who was more than pleased to work to remain clear.
Stephens needed to chase with Labecki on her wheel, however had Steinmetz coming throughout with De Crescenzo. The 4 got here collectively in pursuit, having a 49-second deficit on the bell lap.
Steinmetz, simply the under-23 champion as the subsequent rider on the highway, Kayla Davis (Serious Cycling) was a lap down, buried herself main the chase into the penultimate climb, launching Stephens to attempt to bridge earlier than sitting up and letting the group go.
The surge knocked De Crescenzo out of the primary chase, however she made her method again on the descent again into city, however the hole simply saved going out, ballooning to over two minutes on the final lap.
Faulkner made her transfer on the ultimate climb and powered her method solo to her first elite nationwide championship title.
Results
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