McGrath edges Armstrong in opening time trial

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Kristin McGrath (Peanut Butter & Co Twenty12) climbed into the top spot on the podium during stage one at the inaugural Aspen Women's Pro Race in Colorado. She won the opening time trial ahead of her teammate a former double world champion Kristin Armstrong in second and National Racing Calendar (NRC) leader Janel Holcomb (Colavita-Forno D'Asolo) in third.

"I was surprised to win given the nature of a very strong field here," McGrath told Cyclingnews. "I had good legs coming in and I am from altitude so I knew I had a bit of an advantage there. I am stoked to win it."

McGrath will lead the three-day omnium stage race into the second stage, a circuit race held in Snowmass on Tuesday. She is confident that her team can secure the overall title following the stage three criterium held in Aspen on Wednesday.

"I think that we are in a really good position to keep the jersey in our team," McGrath said. "Having first and second will give us a chance to play a couple of cards. We definitely want to win the overall for sure."

Former US National Time Trial Champion Jessica Phillips is promoting the Aspen Women's Pro Race. Although it is a relatively small field, there are multiple world-class talents participating in the inaugural event including French legend Jeannie Longo. "For sure, it is a good quality field," McGrath said.

The race kicked off in Maroon Bells with a 12.4km uphill time trial held at roughly 8000ft of elevation. McGrath, who is from Durango, is accustom to the higher elevation and said it played a large factor in the outcome of the time trial.

"The first part was rolling up hill and then we gradually started climbing and it got steeper at the top," McGrath said. "Any time it goes uphill, it will put a smile on my face."