Powers claims second US title in thrilling road race finale
UnitedHealthcare rider currently holds all USA road titles
Alison Powers (UnitedHealthcare) sealed her second national championship title of the USA Cycling Professional National Championships, adding a road race victory to her emphatic time trial win in a thrilling finale in Chattanooga.
Powers made a late-race attack on the final short circuits and soloed away from the leading group to win with a 15-second margin over chasers Megan Guarnier (Boels-Dolmans) and Evelyn Stevens (Specialized-lululemon).
Powers now holds all three USA titles, with her 2013 criterium national championship defense coming in August.
The professional and Cat 1/2 women raced for 104km that included three short starting circuits, two longer loops over Lookout Mountain, and another three final circuits that were 8.6km apiece, and included a short climb over Kent Street.
Rachel Byus (FCS|Zngine p/b Mr. Restore) kicked off the day with an attack at the end of the first starting circuit. Her teammate Mia Loquai countered that move but was followed by Amber Gaffney (Twenty16 Pro Cycling). The pair gained a minute with two short circuits to go.
They gained another minute as they entered the first of two long laps. Heading into the base of the Lookout Mountain, and with a strong field of climbers behind them, Gaffney pedalled away from Loquai and tried to get over the top before being caught.
Race favorites amassed at the front of the field with Stevens, Mara Abbott (UnitedHealthcare) and Andrea Dvorak (Tibco-To The Top) among them. They pulled back 30 seconds to Gaffney half way up the climb and caught her before the start of the tricky descent.
The main field dwindled to about 20 riders as they reached the downtown portion of the circuit and climbed over the new Kent Street hill for the first time. Powers made her first attack on the other side of the hill, through a technical corner, perhaps as a practice run before the final short circuits.
She opened a small gap and was followed by Janel Holcomb (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies). Stevens bridged across to the pair and the breakaway looked like it could have been a decisive one, however, the main field of roughly 17 riders worked hard to catch them before the start of the second and last climb over Lookout Mountain.
Katie Hall (UnitedHealthcare) attacked on the climb and got a small gap ahead of a large chase group that included her teammates Powers and Abbott along with Lauren Hall, Janel Holcomb and defending champion Jade Wilcoxson (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies), Stevens, Tayler Wiles and Carmen Small (Specialized-lululemon), E. Scotti Wilborne and Krista Doebel-Hickok (Tibco), Abigail Mickey and Lauren Komanski (Twenty16 Pro Cycling) and Guarnier.
Wiles, who won the Redlands Bicycle Classic earlier this season and placed fourth in the time trial championships, put her strength to the test to try and catch Hall, taking pressure off her Specialized-lululemon teammates.
Hall started the three short finishing circuits with a minute advantage and Wiles joined her before the start of the second circuit. Their gap held for most of that lap, however, Powers, Hall, Stevens and Guarnier bridged across just before they reached the Kent Street climb.
Powers immediately attacked on the descent off of the climb and gained a small lead as she rounded the final lap. She held a 10-second gap on chasers Stevens and Gaurnier on the final climb over Kent Street but increased her lead to 15 seconds as she approached the finish line in downtown Chattanooga.
Full Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Alison Powers (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Women’s Team | 2:55:25 |
2 | Megan Guarnier (USA) Boels - Dolmans Cycling Team | 0:00:22 |
3 | Evelyn Stevens (USA) Specialized-lululemon | 0:00:25 |
4 | Tayler Wiles (USA) Specialized-lululemon | 0:01:11 |
5 | Katie Hall (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Women’s Team | 0:02:20 |
6 | Lauren Hall (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:02:35 |
7 | Lauren Komanski (USA) Twenty16 | 0:02:57 |
8 | Carmen Small (USA) Specialized-lululemon | 0:04:06 |
9 | Jade Wilcoxson (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:04:07 |
10 | Scotti Wilborne (USA) Team TIBCO - To The Top | 0:04:10 |
11 | Kristabel Doebel-Hickok (USA) Team TIBCO - To The Top | 0:04:11 |
12 | Mara Abbott (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Women’s Team | |
13 | Kathryn Donovan (USA) Twenty16 | 0:07:18 |
14 | Janel Holcomb (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:07:39 |
15 | Breanne Nalder (USA) DNA Cycling p/b K4 | 0:08:17 |
16 | Jessica Prinner (USA) Colavita-Fine Cooking | 0:11:00 |
17 | Amanda Miller (USA) Team TIBCO - To The Top | |
18 | Mandy Heintz (Guru Cycles p/b Haute Wheels Racing) | |
19 | Ally Stacher (USA) Specialized-lululemon | |
20 | Kaitlin Antonneau (USA) Twenty16 | |
21 | Mary Zider (USA) Colavita-Fine Cooking | |
22 | Amy Charity (USA) Vanderkitten | |
23 | Brianna Walle (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | |
24 | Allie Dragoo (USA) Twenty16 | |
25 | Jessica Cutler (USA) FCS|Zngine p/b Mr. Restore | |
26 | Anna Sanders (USA) FCS|Zngine p/b Mr. Restore | |
27 | Maura Kinsella (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | |
28 | Alison Tetrick (USA) Twenty16 | |
DNF | Amber Gaffney (USA) TWENTY16 | |
DNF | Kristin Mcgrath (USA) TWENTY16 | |
DNF | Abigail Mickey (USA) TWENTY16 | |
DNF | Greta Neimanas (USA) TWENTY16 | |
DNF | Andrea Dvorak (USA) Team TIBCO/ To the Top | |
DNF | Sara Headley (USA) Team TIBCO/ To the Top | |
DNF | Kendall Ryan (USA) Team TIBCO/ To the Top | |
DNF | Samantha Schneider (USA) Team TIBCO/ To the Top | |
DNF | Jessica Cerra (USA) SPY GIANT RIDE p/b MRI | |
DNF | Jennifer Whalen (USA) SPY GIANT RIDE p/b MRI | |
DNF | Whitney Schultz (USA) Colavita-Fine Cooking | |
DNF | Kailin Acheson (USA) Team Belladium | |
DNF | Cali Ewing (USA) Team Belladium | |
DNF | Rachel Byus (USA) FCS|Zngine p/b Mr. Restore | |
DNF | Amy Cutler (USA) FCS|Zngine p/b Mr. Restore | |
DNF | Mia Loquai (USA) FCS|Zngine p/b Mr. Restore | |
DNF | Melinda Spratt (USA) FCS|Zngine p/b Mr. Restore | |
DNF | Erica Zaveta (USA) FCS|Zngine p/b Mr. Restore | |
DNF | Alexis Zink (USA) FCS|Zngine p/b Mr. Restore | |
DNF | Lauren De Crescenzo (USA) DNA Cycling p/b K4 | |
DNF | Heather Fischer (USA) DNA Cycling p/b K4 | |
DNF | Anne Perry (USA) DNA Cycling p/b K4 | |
DNF | Irena Ossola (USA) Cloud Racing p/b Ride2Recovery | |
DNF | Jacqueline Parker (USA) Cloud Racing p/b Ride2Recovery | |
DNF | Starla Teddergreen (USA) Cloud Racing p/b Ride2Recovery | |
DNF | Debbie Milne (USA) Finish Strong Elite Cycling Team p/b GCB | |
DNF | Danielle Bradley (USA) Guru Cycles p/b Haute Wheels Racing | |
DNF | Lindsay Fox (USA) Jobing.com Women's Racing | |
DNF | Chelsea Factor (USA) Pioneer Mortgage pb Yourkey.com | |
DNF | Katherine Reinhart (USA) Puget Sound Cycling Club | |
DNF | Allison Arensman (USA) PainPathways Cycling Team | |
DNF | Nina Laughlin (USA) PainPathways Cycling Team | |
DNF | Cinthia Lehner (USA) PainPathways Cycling Team | |
DNF | Caroline Moakley (USA) PainPathways Cycling Team | |
DNF | Arden Stelly (USA) PainPathways Cycling Team | |
DNF | Stephanie Rynas (USA) Taco Mamacita | |
DNF | Christy Keely (USA) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling | |
DNF | Amy Phillips (USA) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling | |
DNF | Ginger Snell (USA) Velo Sports Group | |
DNF | Raquel Miller (USA) Zimmer Capital p/b Foundation | |
DNF | Rebecca Clark (USA) | |
DNF | Jessica Chong (USA) | |
DNF | Anna Zivarts (USA) Mellow Mushroom Racing | |
DNS | Jennifer Schuble (USA) East Point Track Club | |
DNS | Allison Atkinson (USA) Guru Cycles p/b Haute Wheels Racing |

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*
Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets
After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Join now for unlimited access
Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1