Tour of the Gila: Katie Hall wins opening stage on Whitewater Mesa

UnitedHealthcare’s Katie Hall claimed her first win of 2017 Wednesday during stage 1 at the Tour of the Gila, soloing away from the peloton on the sharp rise to the altered Mogollon Road Race finish at Whitewater Mesa.

Current USA Cycling Pro Road Tour leader Ruth Winder came in second for a UHC one-two finish, followed by Rally Cycling’s Sara Bergen.

"I'm happy to take the win today for the team," Hall said. "We had a great tactical plan today. Lauren, Lauretta, and Diana made it hard going into the final hill. I attacked with 5km to go, knowing that if I got caught early Tayler was ready to attack and if came down to sprint, Ruth would win. We're in a great place now for GC with three of us in the top 10."

The traditional Tour of the Gila stage 1 finish at the top of the Mogollon climb was scrapped this year due to poor road conditions, and although organisers anticipated a bunch finish when they added time bonuses and sprint points to the stage top three, the short, steep climb leading to the finish at Whitewater Mesa proved enough of a challenge to give the climbers their day.

The stage started with the peloton riding into a fierce headwind, keeping the bunch together until Tibco and UHC started winding it up for the first intermediate sprint 30km into the day. Tibco’s Lauren Stephens took the three-second time bonus for the winner there, followed by Hagens Berman Supermint’s Lizzie Williams and Stephens’ teammate Brianna Walle.

The group came back together to fight the winds after the sprint, with Rise Racing’s Jamie Gilgen slipping off the front ahead of the second sprint. The Canadian rider was able to hold her advantage across the sprint line, taking the top bonus ahead of Winder and Stephens.

From there, the headwind and the anticipation of a tough finish stifled multiple breakaway attempts until Hall was able to slip away and stick her effort all the way to the line, holding a 10 second gap from 5km to go into the finale.

Bergen was pleased with her performance to gain the final podium spot.

“I am incredibly proud of the result today and so very proud of the teamwork that put me on the podium,” Bergen said. “Personally I am really pleased with how I am feeling at altitude, especially that I had some sprint power after that finishing climb. I am feeling strong and excited for tomorrow's stage.”

Hall was second last year on the opening Mogollon stage, coming in behind six-time champion Mara Abbott (Amy D Foundation) after they battled up the traditional 4.8km climb to the top. Hall went on to finish sixth overall. Abbott retired after following last season.

After putting three riders in the top five, UHC director Rachel Heal praised her team and looked forward to the rest of the week.

"With a strong headwind all day, it was a fairly quiet stage," Heal said. "The wind deterred many teams from being too aggressive. We made sure to cover any threatening moves and saved our bullets for the last 10km. Lauren, Lauretta and Diana ratcheted up the pace as we made the final turn into the climb setting up the climbers to do their thing.

"Katie was the first to attack and opened up a 10 second gap," Heal continued. "A chase group was closing in, but Katie held strong to take the win. Ruth made it a 1,2 and Tayler was just off the podium in fourth to finish off a great day for the team. It was another great display of teamwork with everyone playing their part and Katie finishing it off in style. It's fun to play with such a stacked deck."

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