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

Lauren Stephens (Aegis Cycling Mixed Team) earned the overall title at the women's Tour de Bloom stage race, recapturing the race lead with a solo victory on the final day of racing on a mountaintop finish at Mission Ridge Resort, Washington. Held May 2-6 for a 25th edition in the Cascade Mountains of north-central Washington, the Tour de Bloom elevated the elite women's race to UCI 2.2 level for the first time.

The former US Pro road race champion finished on the podium all five 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, points, mountains - at Tour of the Gila in April.

Alia Shafi (Fount Cycling Guild) finished second on GC, 7:34 behind Stephens, but held off third-placed Paula Gil (Valkyer Mixed Team) by a slim three seconds. Marlies Mejías (Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28) won the points classification for elite women.

Matthew Wilson (POA Racing) won the men's overall in the five-day stage race, which continued as a USA Cycling-sanctioned event. The New Zealander, who came fresh off racing at Whiskey 50 mountain bike weekend with a Fat Tire Crit win and fifth in the backcountry race, closed out the GC title by winning the final three stages and secured the mountain classification with his stage 5 victory.

Tim McBirney (Mike's Bikes p/b Equator Coffees) finished 51 seconds back on GC for second, and Richard Arnopol (Project Echelon Racing) was another 14 seconds back for third overall.

"We had a lot of goals, number one was to win the GC. Number two was to win the race, number three was team GC. QOM was our next goal too, and we got that one too so we're happy," Stephens told organisers at the finish on Tuesday.

"My team executed it so well. Finishing up here at the ski resort is exciting, finishing on the gravel makes for a great stage. It's exciting to see we have UCI races coming back to America."

Tour de Bloom 2025 GC results

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Alison Jackson wins GC at Gracia Orlová

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

With the stage victory on a 124.4km ride in the mountains, the former Paris-Roubaix champion then erased an eight-second deficit to race leader Marieke Meert (Team Belgium) on the stage 3, using a solid fifth-place finish to go into a tie for the GC lead with ITT winner Jasmin Liechti (Nexetis). Jackson then finished top 20 the final two days, including third on stage 5, to take the GC victory by 10 seconds over Liechti. Jackson also won the points classification.

"It was a younger group out there with me, and I guess in some ways I took on more of a mentor role," said Jackson. "This race doesn’t allow radios, so there’s more pressure on the road captain to make calls and communicate clearly. That kind of setup puts responsibility on the riders to manage situations in the moment and we did just that."

Savilia Blunk and Riley Amos win Whiskey 50

Riley Amos (Trek-Kenetick-SRAM) and Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) won the elite titles at the Whiskey Off-Road 50-mile backcountry race in Prescott, Arizona. 

The Whiskey Off-Road weekend was held for a 20th edition from April 25-27 in Prescott, Arizona, with a Pro Criterium, Pro Backcountry races and amateur races on the third day. A pro purse of $34,000 was on the line. 

Blunk held off Alexis Skarda (Santa Cruz Bicycles-SRAM) to win the elite women's Fat Tire Criterium on Friday. She then went to work straight away in the endurance race Saturday setting the pace early in the women's field and earned the prize bonus at the top of the first climb. Skarda joined her on the next major climb at Copper Basin, but Blunk powered away for a solo win in 3:40:26, 7:24 faster than Skarda.

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

"Had a great day today on 50 miles of backcountry, suffering through long climbs and ripping up and down the trails. Stoked to take the win and huge thank you to Epic Rides (organisers) and Whiskey Off-Road for keeping solid prize money alive and well for the #MTB," Blunk posted to her Instagram. 

"It was a last minute decision to make it out to Prescott but I’m so glad I did. It’s very rare Cole [Paton] and I get to race the same event anymore so when it works it’s so fun and feels “normal” to be lining up to race together. "

Blunk's partner Paton would factor into the men's backcountry race, but had to settle for third place, 1:30 behind winner Amos, while Bradyn Lange (Pinarello-Orange Seal) took second, 52 seconds behind Amos.

Amos and Lange rode as a duo and created a gap in the men's field in the first hour of racing, Andrew l'Esperance (Maxxis) leading the chase group a few seconds back. Once to Skull Valley, Amos opened a gap, while Paton joined Lange for the chase. The top three was then set the rest of the way.

Sean Fincham (Maxxis) rode solo for fourth place while Matthew Wilson (Santa Cruz Bicycles-Shimano) grabbed the final podium in a three-rider sprint against L'Esperance and Kyle Trudeau (Tenac Coaching). Wilson had won the men's Fat Tire Crit Friday night with a mid-race solo attack.