Sofia Gomez Villafañe wins abbreviated Big Sugar Classic and locks in overall women's title for Life Time Grand Prix

Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialized Off-road) sprinted away from a small group of contenders to win the weather-shortened Life Time Big Sugar Classic elite women's race in Bentonville, Arkansas, in a time of 2:36:23.

Crossing the line six seconds behind the defending champion was US gravel winner Lauren Stephens (Aegis Cycling Foundation) for second, and Stella Hobbs (MAAP-Wahoo) was third, a further six seconds back.

With a ‘hazardous weather outlook’ issued by the National Weather Service (NWS), race organisers decided just an hour and a half before the elite starts to shorten the course from 100 to 50 miles.

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“I thrive in chaos," Villafañe said at the finish for the Life Time broadcast. "The uncertainty of racing 100 [miles], or are you racing 50? Although I was praying we were going to do the 50, I thought it would just deliver some really exciting racing. And it was chaos for 50 miles, attacks going left and right, and it came down to the wire.

"I know my strength is my sprint. I optimized my bike for that sprint finish. So yeah, super excited to wrap up the Grand Prix, win Big Sugar again and end the year on such a high note."

Just six days ago Villafañe earned the victory in the 62-mile Little Sugar MTB race for a Bentonville sweep. Villafañe simply had to start the sixth and final event of the Life Time Grand Prix series to secure her third overall title. The 31-year-old rider made it to the podium of every event in the series so far this year, winning Sea Otter Classic Gravel and Little Sugar before her victory at Big Sugar.

“I surprised myself today," Stephens, who is not part of the Grand Prix this year, told Cyclingnews. "With the change to the 50 [miles], I was ready for a long race and having just to make that mind switch to the short race. I definitely enjoy the shorter races, but we don't do them a lot, so I didn't feel ready.

"In the end, it was great. We had a group of four off of the second-to-last climb, that LDC [Lauren De Crescenzo] initiated. And, a little bit of cat and mouse along the mountain bike trails there, where it's flat, and we're like, ‘what do we do? What do we do?’ And so I just tried to keep it rolling.

"And then when we hit that last little kicker, I was like, ‘Well, I don't have much left, but we got to go hard up this’ and Sofia was able to go over the top of me, and just kept chasing her to the finish, and was able to hold on for a second."

For Hobbs, a newcomer to the Life Time Grand Prix, she has finished in the top 20 of multiple races but this was her first podium of the series.

"Today would definitely be the biggest result I've had yet in my little three-year racing career. This is big for me," the 31-year-old told Cyclingnews.

"This will be really helpful for me, and it just feels really good to be able to stand on a podium."

From a bunch sprint of 11 riders, Hobbs outdistanced Alexis Skarda and Courtney Sherwell, the Grand Prix duo finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.

How it unfolded

With a weather forecast that included 'large hail and damaging wind gusts' with up to two inches of steady rain, Life Time cut the 100-mile route in half on Saturday morning for all riders on the original 100-mile route. Now 50 miles in length, the elite women took the start at 7:35 a.m. local time, 10 minutes after the elite men, under partly cloudy skies on rough dirt roads on the Missouri side of the counter-clockwise circuit.

The elite men began the fifth edition of Big Sugar at 7:25 a.m. local time, followed by the elite women at 7:35 a.m., all fields using a two-mile neutral start from Bentonville City Square.

The original distance included more than 7,700 feet of elevation gain, and the 50-mile distance, which actually measured 53.9 miles, provided half the climbing as well, but still challenging chunky, loose gravel on rugged, small roads and single-track with off-camber descents.

At stake was a share in a $30,000 single-race prize purse as well as a share in a $200,000 Grand Prix prize purse for the invitation-only Grand Prix competitors - the top 10 women and men earning the series cash. One of the Grand Prix riders on the start line for women but not racing because of injury was Paige Onweller, who was in 12th place.

The first time check with 7 miles completed, 37 riders in the main field formed the front of the race. Sofia Gomez Villafañe only had to start today's race to secure her third title in the Life Time Grand Prix for a third time in four years. US riders Cecily Decker and Melisa Rollins, just two points apart in the battle for second place, were both in the front bunch, marking moves by Villafañe.

It was Emily Newsom, who was not part of the Grand Prix this year, who lit up the women's race with a solo attack. Her effort didn't last long as the main pack of women remained together and closed down Newsom's effort.

As thunder roared in the distance and thick, dark clouds loomed for the second half of the ride, the women's field remained intact, riders looking at each other.

As the final 20 miles approached, Rollins and Gwendalyn Gibson tried to make a separation at the front, but were not allowed a long leash. Now, the race began to change as heavy rain began to fall.

As thunder roared in the distance and thick, dark clouds loomed for the second half of the ride, the women's field remained intact, riders looking at each other.

Several small attacks ensued once they crossed back into Arkansas from loop into southern Missouri, but nothing developed for a breakaway.

With under 10km to go, a small kicker led to a final stretch of single track in the woods, with 22 riders massed at the front. Villafañe was mid-pack, following Stephens, white at the front the pace was being set by Rollins, De Crescenzo, Gibson, Cecily Decker and Maddie Munro.

After passing Little Sugar Creek with two more kickers ahead on pavement within three miles of the finish, De Crescenzo was part of a small group that got some separation, but Villafane worked to catch them. Stephens was the first to attack, but the defending champion saved enough in reserves for the sprint and another victory.

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