Armstrong wins again at Gila; Young takes men’s stage
Olympic time trial champ solidifies lead ahead of time trial; Sutherland defends his jersey
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Kristin Armstrong won her second stage in as many days Thursday at the SRAM Tour of the Gila. Eric Young took top honors in the men’s race at Fort Bayard, New Mexico.
Young (Bissell), the current U.S. professional criterium champion, beat out defending overall winner Francisco Mancebo and his Competitive Cyclist teammate Chad Beyer in the 80-mile stage.
Rory Sutherland (UnitedHealthcare), winner of Wednesday’s Mogollon opener, retained his overall lead, with three stages remaining.
In the women’s tilt, Armstrong (Exergy Twenty12) won an uphill, two-up sprint with Janel Holcomb (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies) at Fort Bayard. Holcomb’s teammate Carmen Small finished third, with Alison Powers (NOW-Novartis for MS) fourth at the end of the 77.9-mile stage.
The Olympic time trial champ extended her overall lead ahead of Friday’s time trial. Armstrong won the Gila TT in 2009 over Powers and will hope to assert herself with a third time trial win in 2012. She previously won the TT stages at the Tour of New Zealand and the Energiewacht Tour in the Netherlands.