Women's USA Pro Challenge: Armstrong wins time trial in Breckenridge
Dragoo second, Miller third
Kristin Armstrong (Twenty16 Sho-Air) continued to quest toward her third Summer Olympics with a split-second time trial victory Friday over teammate Allie Dragoo, as the three-day Women’s USA Pro Challenge began on the fifth day of the week-long event.
Armstrong, the last starter in the field of 64, powered the 13.5km course that featured a 148 metre climb in mid-course in 21 minutes and 24.59 seconds. Dragoo finished .12 seconds behind.
Amanda Miller (Visit Dallas/Noise4Good) was third in 21:48.55, with Abigail Mickey (UnitedHealthcare) fourth in 21:52.80, on a course that featured alternating crosswinds and headwinds that fluctuated throughout the 90-minute event.
Dragoo posted a 17:01 intermediate split, the day’s best and two seconds faster than Armstrong, who claimed her third time trial win toward her goal of competing in the Summer Olympics, where she has won the past two individual time trials.
“It was crushed packed with crowds; I really couldn’t hear myself breathe,” said Armstrong, who also claimed time trial titles this year at the Cascade Cycling Classic and USA Professional Road Race Championships. “My coach at the top of the hill kept saying, ‘Give it a little more.’ And I was like ‘I can’t. I can’t. I am going to fall over.’”
How it unfolded
Unlike the Tour of Utah earlier this month that included two women's races in an omnium format at the start of the weeklong event, the Women’s USA Pro Challenge opted to have its three-day women's stage race correspond with the final three men's stages of the fifth-year race.
The large field began 13.5km route with one-minute intervals and 2 hours and 10 minutes before the men began on the same course. The pre-event buzz was two-fold: the 9,603-foot (2,927 metres) starting altitude at Breckenridge and the mid-race climb that took the field to 10,008 feet (3,048 metres).
Lauren Komanski, a third Twenty16 Sho-Air teammate, set the early-sustained best time posting a 22:29 effort as the 14th starter. Her effort stood for 25 riders before Mickey posted a 21:52 clocking. Mickey’s time held for 16 riders before Miller’s third-place effort.
Two riders, including Alison Tetrick (Optum), a pre-race favourite and the fourth-to-last rider to start, fell off the starting ramp.
Armstrong’s ride wasn’t particularly smooth. She opted not to take risks and had to brake on the steep downhill. She wasn’t aware of her trailing split to Dragoo and looked back quickly at the time board as she crossed the line.
“One of the hardest parts mentally was when you got to the top of the hill, you think it’s downhill,” Armstrong said. “It is, but how many seconds do you take before you starting spinning your legs again.”
Despite the steep downhill, Mickey embraced it and proved successful for her fourth-place. “Oh my gosh, the downhill was so much fun,” said Mickey. “With the wide roads, it was just a lot of fun.”
Armstrong’s win gave her the overall race lead in the same time as Dragoo and with Miller 24 seconds behind. Stage 2, a 93.4km road race is set Saturday from Loveland to Ft. Collins.
“The closest thing I’ve done to this, and I would even compare it course-wise, just with altitude, was at Maroon Bells in Aspen,” Armstrong said. “I asked a friend for advice and she said when you feel ‘pins and needles’ you’re done. I went out too fast and I felt like one of those voodoo dolls. I was getting poked everywhere. But today I didn’t feel pins and needles, so I think I learned my lesson.”
Full Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Kristin Armstrong (USA) Twenty 16 P/B Sho-_-Air | 0:21:24 |
2 | Allie Dragoo (USA) Twenty 16 P/B Sho-_-Air | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
3 | Amanda Miller (USA) Visit Dallas P/B Noise4Good | 0:00:24 |
4 | Abigail Mickey (USA) Unitedhealthcare Professional | 0:00:28 |
5 | Tayler Wiles (USA) Dna Cycling P/B K4 | 0:00:41 |
6 | Breanne Nalder (USA) Dna Cycling P/B K4 | 0:00:45 |
7 | Mara Abbott (USA) Amy D. Foundation | 0:00:47 |
8 | Katharine Hall (USA) Unitedhealthcare Professional | 0:01:03 |
9 | Lauren Komanski (USA) Twenty 16 P/B Sho-_-Air | 0:01:05 |
10 | Linda Villumsen (NZl) Unitedhealthcare Professional | 0:01:14 |
11 | Julie Emmerman (USA) Amy D. Foundation | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
12 | Robin Farina (USA) Bmw P/B Happy Tooth Dental | 0:01:20 |
13 | Olivia Dillon (Irl) Visit Dallas P/B Noise4Good | 0:01:34 |
14 | Joanne Kiesanowski (NZl) Team Tibco – Svb | 0:01:35 |
15 | Andrea Dvorak (USA) Twenty 16 P/B Sho-_-Air | 0:01:37 |
16 | Lex Albrecht (Can) Optum P/B Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:01:38 |
17 | Whitney Schultz (USA) Colavita/Bianchi P/B Fine Cooking | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
18 | Lauren Hall (USA) Twenty 16 P/B Sho-_-Air | 0:01:40 |
19 | Chloe Dygert (USA) Twenty 16 P/B Sho-_-Air | 0:01:44 |
20 | Patricia Schwager (Swi) Team Tibco – Svb | 0:01:51 |
21 | Kathryn Donovan (USA) Colavita/Bianchi P/B Fine Cooking | 0:02:01 |
22 | Hannah Barnes (GBr) Unitedhealthcare Professional | 0:02:03 |
23 | Gretchen Stumhofer (USA) Amy D. Foundation | 0:02:04 |
24 | Jessica Cutler (USA) Colavita/Bianchi P/B Fine Cooking | 0:02:05 |
25 | Laura Jorgensen (USA) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling P/B The Happy Tooth | 0:02:21 |
26 | Coryn Rivera (USA) Unitedhealthcare Professional | 0:02:25 |
27 | Amy Charity (USA) Optum P/B Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:02:28 |
28 | Alizee Brien (Can) Team Tibco – Svb | Row 27 - Cell 2 |
29 | Shoshauna Routley (Can) Bmw P/B Happy Tooth Dental | 0:02:31 |
30 | Anna Sanders (USA) Visit Dallas P/B Noise4Good | 0:02:37 |
31 | Mandy Heintz (USA) Fearless Femme P/B Haute Wheels Racing | 0:02:38 |
32 | Kristen Legan (USA) Colorado Women’S Cycling Project P/B Spark Women’S Racing | 0:02:39 |
33 | Scotti Lechuga (USA) Unitedhealthcare Professional | 0:02:52 |
34 | Jannalyn Luttrell (USA) Fearless Femme P/B Haute Wheels Racing | 0:02:56 |
35 | Alison Tetrick (USA) Optum P/B Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:03:02 |
36 | Anne Perry (USA) Dna Cycling P/B K4 | 0:03:05 |
37 | Kathryn Bertine SKN Bmw P/B Happy Tooth Dental | 0:03:06 |
38 | Gabrielle Pilote-_-Fortin (Can) Dna Cycling P/B K4 | 0:03:08 |
39 | Meredith Miller (USA) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling P/B The Happy Tooth | Row 38 - Cell 2 |
40 | Krista Doebel-_-Hickok (USA) Team Tibco – Svb | 0:03:09 |
41 | Lauren De Crescenzo (USA) Dna Cycling P/B K4 | 0:03:11 |
42 | Megan Rathwell (Can) Bmw P/B Happy Tooth Dental | 0:03:13 |
43 | Emma Grant (GBr) Colavita/Bianchi P/B Fine Cooking | 0:03:15 |
44 | Jennifer Sharp (USA) Colorado Women’S Cycling Project P/B Spark Women’S Racing | 0:03:24 |
45 | Courteney Lowe (NZl) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling P/B The Happy Tooth | 0:03:27 |
46 | Anna Christiansen (USA) Visit Dallas P/B Noise4Good | 0:03:29 |
47 | Meg Hendricks (USA) Colorado Women’S Cycling Project P/B Spark Women’S Racing | 0:03:31 |
48 | Fiona Meede (Irl) Fearless Femme P/B Haute Wheels Racing | 0:03:35 |
49 | Kristen Arnold (USA) Amy D. Foundation | 0:03:38 |
50 | Gwen Inglis (USA) Colorado Women’S Cycling Project P/B Spark Women’S Racing | 0:03:40 |
51 | Sarah Fader (USA) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling P/B The Happy Tooth | 0:03:42 |
52 | Kimberley Johnson (USA) Colorado Women’S Cycling Project P/B Spark Women’S Racing | 0:03:46 |
53 | Maura Kinsella (USA) Optum P/B Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:03:51 |
54 | Amber Pierce (USA) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling P/B The Happy Tooth | 0:03:52 |
55 | Stephanie Wetzel (USA) Colavita/Bianchi P/B Fine Cooking | 0:04:18 |
56 | Amy Phillips (USA) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling P/B The Happy Tooth | 0:04:36 |
57 | Mia Manganello (USA) Visit Dallas P/B Noise4Good | 0:04:37 |
58 | Christa Ghent (USA) Amy D. Foundation | 0:04:43 |
59 | Erica Zaveta (USA) Bmw P/B Happy Tooth Dental | Row 58 - Cell 2 |
60 | Marisa Rorabaugh (USA) Fearless Femme P/B Haute Wheels Racing | 0:04:45 |
61 | Sabrina David (USA) Colorado Women’S Cycling Project P/B Spark Women’S Racing | 0:04:46 |
62 | Joanie Caron (Can) Dna Cycling P/B K4 | 0:04:51 |
63 | Ariane Horbach (Ger) Optum P/B Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:05:41 |
64 | Nina Laughlin (USA) Visit Dallas P/B Noise4Good | 0:05:54 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Abigail Mickey (USA) Unitedhealthcare Professional | 12 | pts |
2 | Amber Pierce (USA) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling P/B The Happy Tooth | 10 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Mara Abbott (USA) Amy D. Foundation | 8 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
4 | Andrea Dvorak (USA) Twenty 16 P/B Sho-_-Air | 7 | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
5 | Kristin Armstrong (USA) Twenty 16 P/B Sho-_-Air | 6 | Row 4 - Cell 3 |
6 | Amanda Miller (USA) Visit Dallas P/B Noise4Good | 5 | Row 5 - Cell 3 |
7 | Robin Farina (USA) Bmw P/B Happy Tooth Dental | 4 | Row 6 - Cell 3 |
8 | Allie Dragoo (USA) Twenty 16 P/B Sho-_-Air | 3 | Row 7 - Cell 3 |
9 | Katharine Hall (USA) Unitedhealthcare Professional | 2 | Row 8 - Cell 3 |
10 | Kathryn Donovan (USA) Colavita/Bianchi P/B Fine Cooking | 1 | Row 9 - Cell 3 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Kristin Armstrong (USA) Twenty 16 P/B Sho-_-Air | 0:21:24 |
2 | Allie Dragoo (USA) Twenty 16 P/B Sho-_-Air | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
3 | Amanda Miller (USA) Visit Dallas P/B Noise4Good | 0:00:24 |
4 | Abigail Mickey (USA) Unitedhealthcare Professional | 0:00:28 |
5 | Tayler Wiles (USA) Dna Cycling P/B K4 | 0:00:41 |
6 | Breanne Nalder (USA) Dna Cycling P/B K4 | 0:00:45 |
7 | Mara Abbott (USA) Amy D. Foundation | 0:00:47 |
8 | Katharine Hall (USA) Unitedhealthcare Professional | 0:01:03 |
9 | Lauren Komanski (USA) Twenty 16 P/B Sho-_-Air | 0:01:05 |
10 | Linda Villumsen (NZl) Unitedhealthcare Professional | 0:01:14 |
11 | Julie Emmerman (USA) Amy D. Foundation | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
12 | Robin Farina (USA) Bmw P/B Happy Tooth Dental | 0:01:20 |
13 | Olivia Dillon (Irl) Visit Dallas P/B Noise4Good | 0:01:34 |
14 | Joanne Kiesanowski (NZl) Team Tibco – Svb | 0:01:35 |
15 | Andrea Dvorak (USA) Twenty 16 P/B Sho-_-Air | 0:01:37 |
16 | Lex Albrecht (Can) Optum P/B Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:01:38 |
17 | Whitney Schultz (USA) Colavita/Bianchi P/B Fine Cooking | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
18 | Lauren Hall (USA) Twenty 16 P/B Sho-_-Air | 0:01:40 |
19 | Chloe Dygert (USA) Twenty 16 P/B Sho-_-Air | 0:01:44 |
20 | Patricia Schwager (Swi) Team Tibco – Svb | 0:01:51 |
21 | Kathryn Donovan (USA) Colavita/Bianchi P/B Fine Cooking | 0:02:01 |
22 | Hannah Barnes (GBr) Unitedhealthcare Professional | 0:02:03 |
23 | Gretchen Stumhofer (USA) Amy D. Foundation | 0:02:04 |
24 | Jessica Cutler (USA) Colavita/Bianchi P/B Fine Cooking | 0:02:05 |
25 | Laura Jorgensen (USA) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling P/B The Happy Tooth | 0:02:21 |
26 | Coryn Rivera (USA) Unitedhealthcare Professional | 0:02:25 |
27 | Amy Charity (USA) Optum P/B Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:02:28 |
28 | Alizee Brien (Can) Team Tibco – Svb | Row 27 - Cell 2 |
29 | Shoshauna Routley (Can) Bmw P/B Happy Tooth Dental | 0:02:31 |
30 | Anna Sanders (USA) Visit Dallas P/B Noise4Good | 0:02:37 |
31 | Mandy Heintz (USA) Fearless Femme P/B Haute Wheels Racing | 0:02:38 |
32 | Kristen Legan (USA) Colorado Women’S Cycling Project P/B Spark Women’S Racing | 0:02:39 |
33 | Scotti Lechuga (USA) Unitedhealthcare Professional | 0:02:52 |
34 | Jannalyn Luttrell (USA) Fearless Femme P/B Haute Wheels Racing | 0:02:56 |
35 | Alison Tetrick (USA) Optum P/B Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:03:02 |
36 | Anne Perry (USA) Dna Cycling P/B K4 | 0:03:05 |
37 | Kathryn Bertine SKN Bmw P/B Happy Tooth Dental | 0:03:06 |
38 | Gabrielle Pilote-_-Fortin (Can) Dna Cycling P/B K4 | 0:03:08 |
39 | Meredith Miller (USA) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling P/B The Happy Tooth | Row 38 - Cell 2 |
40 | Krista Doebel-_-Hickok (USA) Team Tibco – Svb | 0:03:09 |
41 | Lauren De Crescenzo (USA) Dna Cycling P/B K4 | 0:03:11 |
42 | Megan Rathwell (Can) Bmw P/B Happy Tooth Dental | 0:03:13 |
43 | Emma Grant (GBr) Colavita/Bianchi P/B Fine Cooking | 0:03:15 |
44 | Jennifer Sharp (USA) Colorado Women’S Cycling Project P/B Spark Women’S Racing | 0:03:24 |
45 | Courteney Lowe (NZl) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling P/B The Happy Tooth | 0:03:27 |
46 | Anna Christiansen (USA) Visit Dallas P/B Noise4Good | 0:03:29 |
47 | Meg Hendricks (USA) Colorado Women’S Cycling Project P/B Spark Women’S Racing | 0:03:31 |
48 | Fiona Meede (Irl) Fearless Femme P/B Haute Wheels Racing | 0:03:35 |
49 | Kristen Arnold (USA) Amy D. Foundation | 0:03:38 |
50 | Gwen Inglis (USA) Colorado Women’S Cycling Project P/B Spark Women’S Racing | 0:03:40 |
51 | Sarah Fader (USA) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling P/B The Happy Tooth | 0:03:42 |
52 | Kimberley Johnson (USA) Colorado Women’S Cycling Project P/B Spark Women’S Racing | 0:03:46 |
53 | Maura Kinsella (USA) Optum P/B Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:03:51 |
54 | Amber Pierce (USA) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling P/B The Happy Tooth | 0:03:52 |
55 | Stephanie Wetzel (USA) Colavita/Bianchi P/B Fine Cooking | 0:04:18 |
56 | Amy Phillips (USA) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling P/B The Happy Tooth | 0:04:36 |
57 | Mia Manganello (USA) Visit Dallas P/B Noise4Good | 0:04:37 |
58 | Christa Ghent (USA) Amy D. Foundation | 0:04:43 |
59 | Erica Zaveta (USA) Bmw P/B Happy Tooth Dental | Row 58 - Cell 2 |
60 | Marisa Rorabaugh (USA) Fearless Femme P/B Haute Wheels Racing | 0:04:45 |
61 | Sabrina David (USA) Colorado Women’S Cycling Project P/B Spark Women’S Racing | 0:04:46 |
62 | Joanie Caron (Can) Dna Cycling P/B K4 | 0:04:51 |
63 | Ariane Horbach (Ger) Optum P/B Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:05:41 |
64 | Nina Laughlin (USA) Visit Dallas P/B Noise4Good | 0:05:54 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Abigail Mickey (USA) Unitedhealthcare Professional | 12 | pts |
2 | Amber Pierce (USA) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling P/B The Happy Tooth | 10 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Mara Abbott (USA) Amy D. Foundation | 8 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
4 | Andrea Dvorak (USA) Twenty 16 P/B Sho-_-Air | 7 | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
5 | Kristin Armstrong (USA) Twenty 16 P/B Sho-_-Air | 6 | Row 4 - Cell 3 |
6 | Amanda Miller (USA) Visit Dallas P/B Noise4Good | 5 | Row 5 - Cell 3 |
7 | Robin Farina (USA) Bmw P/B Happy Tooth Dental | 4 | Row 6 - Cell 3 |
8 | Allie Dragoo (USA) Twenty 16 P/B Sho-_-Air | 3 | Row 7 - Cell 3 |
9 | Katharine Hall (USA) Unitedhealthcare Professional | 2 | Row 8 - Cell 3 |
10 | Kathryn Donovan (USA) Colavita/Bianchi P/B Fine Cooking | 1 | Row 9 - Cell 3 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Abigail Mickey (USA) Unitedhealthcare Professional | 0:21:52 |
2 | Chloe Dygert (USA) Twenty 16 P/B Sho-_-Air | 0:01:16 |
3 | Hannah Barnes (GBr) Unitedhealthcare Professional | 0:01:35 |
4 | Coryn Rivera (USA) Unitedhealthcare Professional | 0:01:57 |
5 | Alizee Brien (Can) Team Tibco – Svb | 0:02:00 |
6 | Gabrielle Pilote-_-Fortin (Can) Dna Cycling P/B K4 | 0:02:40 |
7 | Lauren De Crescenzo (USA) Dna Cycling P/B K4 | 0:02:43 |
8 | Emma Grant (GBr) Colavita/Bianchi P/B Fine Cooking | 0:02:47 |
9 | Courteney Lowe (NZl) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling P/B The Happy Tooth | 0:02:59 |
10 | Kristen Arnold (USA) Amy D. Foundation | 0:03:10 |
11 | Maura Kinsella (USA) Optum P/B Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:03:23 |
12 | Christa Ghent (USA) Amy D. Foundation | 0:04:15 |
13 | Marisa Rorabaugh (USA) Fearless Femme P/B Haute Wheels Racing | 0:04:17 |
14 | Ariane Horbach (Ger) Optum P/B Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:05:13 |
15 | Nina Laughlin (USA) Visit Dallas P/B Noise4Good | 0:05:26 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Twenty | 1:05:17 |
2 | Unitedhealthcare Professional | 0:01:40 |
3 | Amy D. Foundation | 0:03:00 |
4 | Dna Cycling P/B K4 | 0:03:26 |
5 | Visit Dallas P/B Noise4Good | 0:03:30 |
6 | Colavita/Bianchi P/B Fine Cooking | 0:04:39 |
7 | Team Tibco – Svb | 0:04:49 |
8 | Bmw P/B Happy Tooth Dental | 0:05:52 |
9 | Optum P/B Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:06:03 |
10 | Pepper Palace Pro Cycling P/B The Happy Tooth | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
11 | Fearless Femme P/B Haute Wheels Racing | 0:08:04 |
12 | Colorado Women’S Cycling Project P/B Spar | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Most Popular
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Junior track and road standout Joelle Messemer newest signing for 2025 Canyon-SRAM Generation
Diane Ingabire among three returning riders which ups roster to eight for women's Continental team -
Decathlon AG2R refresh and rebuild for 2025 with new racing kit, new bikes and generational teenage talent
French team hopes to build on 30 wins of 2025 with Paul Seixas, Léo Bisiaux and new DS Luke Rowe -
Eddy Merckx suffers broken hip in cycling crash near Brussels
Legendary five-time Tour de France winner to undergo surgery after 'stupid accident' -
Opinion: Fast bikes shouldn’t have to be pretty as well, and to demand that they are holds the sport back
With the new Colnago Y1Rs launching the comments are ablaze with negativity about its looks, but does this matter at all in a modern race bike you can’t afford anyway?