Americans Abroad: Guarnier locks up WorldTour title

Welcome to this week’s edition of “Americans Abroad,” our weekly check-in with the American pros in the European peloton. VeloNews will publish these updates every Monday throughout the season.

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With only one race remaining on the Women’s WorldTour calendar, the Madrid Challenge, American Megan Guarnier has sewn up the overall title in the inaugural season of the WWT. She sprinted to fifth place Saturday in the GP de Plouay-Bretagne behind surprise winner Eugenia Bujak.

For Guarnier, 31, and her dominant Boels – Dolmans team, the 2016 season couldn’t have gone much better. She won the overall at the Amgen Tour of California and the Giro Rosa, repeated her national championship title, and won the Philadelphia International Cycling Classic.

Ian Boswell (Team Sky)

With his teammate Chris Froome sitting third overall after stage 10 Monday, Boswell is working as a super domestique in the Vuelta a España, in 63rd place overall.

Joe Dombrowski (Cannondale – Drapac)

Dombrowski, a man for the mountains, got into the stage 10 breakaway, working to set up teammate Pierre Rolland for a shot at the win. The 25-year-old American was 54th after Monday’s stage to Lagos de Covadonga.

Tyler Farrar (Dimension Data)

Farrar has been on domestique duty in Spain, but his teammate, Omar Fraile leads the mountains classification at the Vuelta, so there could be more work ahead for the veteran sprinter. Farrar was 171st overall following stage 10.

Chad Haga (Giant – Alpecin)

Riding his second grand tour of the season, Haga has been seeking out breakaway opportunities, making the move in stage 4. After Monday, he was 109th on GC.

Ben King (Cannondale – Drapac)

Also in the breakaway on stage 4, King rode to third place that day on the uphill finish won by Lilian Calmejane. Heading into Tuesday’s rest day, King was 50th overall. Read more about Ben King >>

Kiel Reijnen (Trek – Segafredo)

Reijnen has been riding in support of his teammates, who’ve racked up a few top-three finishes so far this Vuelta. The versatile sprinter from Washington was 134th overall after Monday. Read more about Kiel Reijnen >>

Alexis Ryan (Canyon – SRAM)

Ryan raced GP de Plouay-Bretagne, finishing 44th while her teammate, Elena Cecchini, sprinted to second place in France.

Carmen Small (Cylance)

Also at the France WWT race, Small made the winning move along with Guarnier and sprinted to seventh.

Evelyn Stevens (Boels – Dolmans)

Stevens rode to 63rd place at GP de Plouay-Bretagne.

Andrew Talansky (Cannondale – Drapac)

Talansky was the top American in the overall at the Vuelta, 12th on GC after stage 10. He’s been riding consistently on the race’s early summit finishes, but has yet to mix it up at the front.

Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing)

Van Garderen sat in 131st overall at the Vuelta after Monday. His Colombian teammate, Darwin Atapuma, held the overall lead for four days in the first week of the race.

Larry Warbasse (IAM Cycling)

Warbasse has been active in the Vuelta breakaways, making the stage 4 move with his fellow Americans and finishing 11th that day. Like King, he’s trying to secure a 2017 contract. Warbasse was 38th overall after stage 10.

Tayler Wiles (Orica – AIS)

Wiles finished 61st at the Women’s WorldTour race in France on Saturday.

Tour de l’Avenir

Neilson Powless put an exclamation point on a strong showing for the Americans at the sport’s most prestigious under-23 race, winning the final stage in France and placing 18th overall. His teammate Adrien Costa was third on GC after eight days of racing. William Barta ended the week 43rd, Logan Owen was 55th, and Sep Kuss finished 103rd.