April 22, 2018 (Pinos Altos, NM) – Canadian Rob Britton of Rally Cycling captured his second Tour of the Gila victory, arriving in Pinos Altos with close to a minute lead over Gavin Mannion of UnitedHealthcare, who won Stage 5 Gila Monster ahead of Britton and Rally’s Kyle Murphy. Axeon Hagens Berman finished a successful week winning both the sprinter classification with Chris Blevins and best young rider classification with Sean Bennett. Canel’s Specialized Oscar Sanchez retained the KOM jersey. UnitedHealthcare won the overall team classification for both the men and women.
A 15-man break escaped roughly 21 miles into race turning into the Mimbres Valley. Team represented in the break included Aevolo, UnitedHealthcare, Silber Pro Cycling, Canel’s, H&R Block, Rally, and Jelly Belly. They remained together up until the category 2 climb into the Cliff Dwellings when Canel’s drove the pace, splitting the field into pieces.
UnitedHealthcare and Canel’s fought for the KOM classification between Janier Acevedo (UHC) and Sanchez. The two were tied heading into the stage. Acevedo scored top points for the first Cat 3 climb of the day, but fell back to work for his team for the GC heading into the Cliff Dwellings. The Colombian attacked on the Cat 1 climb, to score the points securing his lead. The attack gained him close to a minute gap before Rally and UHC took up the reins and caught him with 20k to go, launching Britton and Mannion for the finale.
“The idea was to attack early because I was down close to two minutes on GC,” Sanchez said at the finish, finishing in the top ten. “I’m happy because we tried what we had intended. It’s better to try, than to have finished 4th on GC without doing anything. We intended to win but we’re happy with the results, it was a spectacular finish.”
UnitedHealthcare dominated the Gila Monster in the women’s race, with Diana Peuela Martinez winning the stage, 40” ahead of Katie Hall in second and Twenty20’s Leah Thomas in third. Hall clinched the title for the second year for UnitedHealthcare, after last year’s win with Tayler Wiles. Sara Poidevin (Rally Cycling) remained in second overall, with Thomas in third on GC. Rally secured the best young riders jersey for Poidevin and the sprinters classification with Emma White. Edwige Patel won the overall Queen of the Mountain classification.
“Today was one of the most impressive team performances I have seen,” Rachel Heal said, Director Sportif for UHC. “The break had enough numbers and strength to put us under real pressure but the girls rose to the occasion and showed huge strength and determination. Diana put in a truly incredible ride, stepping up to a new level, and Katie absorbed the pressure of being the pre race favorite, racing with a confidence that comes from trust in her team and her strength.”
Rally had been a mere 8 seconds back heading into the final stage.
“We were trying to put UHC under pressure the whole day, our whole team buried ourselves as much as we could all day, it was a true fight until the end,” Poidevin said. “It’s great to come away with both the sprint and young rider jerseys. We worked really well together all week.”
The race held together for most of the day, before UHC’s Peuela’s attacked at 10k to go that launched her to the finish. Despite the GC loss, Rally were happy to head home with two jerseys.
“It’s early in the season, we’re only getting better,” White said. “We’re proud of this week. We didn’t quite come away with exactly what we wanted but we’re really, really happy.” Article Contributor: Rebecca Reza
Results
1. Gavin Mannion (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 4:02:41
2. Robert Britton (Can) Rally Cycling 00:01
3. Kyle Murphy (USA) Rally Cycling 00:30
4. Daniel Alexander Jaramillo Diez (Col) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
5. James Piccoli (Can) Elevate-KHS 00:35
6. Serghei Tvetcov (Rom) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 00:38
7. Sean Bennett (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon
8. Jack Burke (Can) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 00:43
9. Isaiah Newkirk (USA) 303 Project 00:46
10. Christopher Blevins (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon 00:50
11. Eder Frayre Moctezuma (Mex) Elevate-KHS 00:59
12. Cullen Easter (USA) 303 Project 01:10
13. Oscar Eduardo Sanchez Guarin (Col) Canel’s-Specialized 01:29
14. Thomas Revard (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon 02:07
15. Flavio De Luna (Mex) 303 Project 02:08
16. Griffin Easter (USA) 303 Project 04:04
17. Alex Hoehn (USA) Aevolo
18. Lachlan Norris (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 04:07
19. Evan Huffman (USA) Rally Cycling 05:39
20. David Greif (USA) Team Rio Grande 07:10
21. Sean Gardner (USA) Gateway-Harley Davidson 07:22
22. Jordan Cheyne (Can) Elevate-KHS 07:34
23. Angus Lyons (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 09:31
24. Alexander Evans (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane
25. Luis Ricardo Villalobos Hernandez (Mex) Aevolo
26. Ethan Berends (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 10:16
27. Nickolas Zukowsky (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 10:52
28. Ian Garrison (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon 11:04
29. Luke Mudgway (Nzl) H&R Block Pro
30. Kevin Girkins (USA) Elevate-KHS 11:06
31. Thomas Wavrin (USA) Pacific Premier Bank 14:40
32. Eduardo Corte Cordero (Mex) Canel’s-Specialized 17:31
33. Efren Santos Moreno (Mex) Canel’s-Specialized
34. Cristhian David Ravelo Avila (Col) 303 Project 18:07
35. Curtis White (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 18:35
36. Danny Pate (USA) Rally Cycling
37. Janier Alexis Acevedo Calle (Col) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 18:37
38. Ben Foster (USA) Support Clean Sport/Guttenplan Coaching
39. Ed Anderson (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon 19:41
40. Brett Wachtendorf (USA) Gateway-Harley Davidson
41. Leonel Palma Dajui (Mex) Canel’s-Specialized 19:43
42. Fernando Islas Lopez (Mex) Aevolo 23:33
43. Cormac McGeough (Irl) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 26:56
44. Cyrus Pearo (USA) Team Rio Grande 27:22
45. Tyler Stites (USA) Aevolo 27:24
46. Zachary Nehr (USA) Team California
47. Michael Gearren II (USA) Cyclus Sports 27:32
48. Adam Roberge (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 28:07
49. Adam De Vos (Can) Rally Cycling
50. Marc-Antoine Nadon (Can) H&R Block Pro
51. Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
52. Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
53. Taylor Shelden (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
54. Keegan Swirbul (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 29:20
55. Jose Alfredo Rodriguez Victoria (Mex) Elevate-KHS 30:46
56. Parker Kyzer (USA) Cyclus Sports
57. Aden Reynolds (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane
58. Oliver Flautt (USA) Cyclus Sports
59. Jason Saltzman (USA) Aevolo
60. Pier Andre Cote (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
61. Steve Fisher (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
62. Brett Rindt (USA) Team Rio Grande
63. Danick Vandale (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
64. Alistair Donohoe (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane
65. Jeison Elias Vega Solano (CRc) Team Costa Rica
66. Pablo Luis Mudarra Segura (CRc) Team Costa Rica
67. Daniel Jara Rodriguez (CRc) Team Costa Rica
68. Conor O’Brien (Can) H&R Block Pro
69. Mauro Rato Castrillo (Esp) Team Rio Grande
70. Aria Kiani (And) Support Clean Sport/Guttenplan Coaching
71. Jean-Denis Thibault (Can) H&R Block Pro
72. Timothy Savre (USA) Team Rio Grande
73. Connor Sallee (USA) Cyclus Sports
74. Dylan Newbery (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane
75. Dennis Ramirez (USA) Gateway-Harley Davidson
76. Graydon Staples (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
77. Michael Rice (Aus) Hagens Berman Axeon
78. Benjamin Wolfe (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
79. Bernat Font Mas (Esp) 303 Project
80. Lukas Conly (Can) Support Clean Sport/Guttenplan Coaching
81. Ricky Randall (USA) Cyclus Sports
82. Kip Taylor (USA) Team Rio Grande
83. George Simpson (USA) Elevate-KHS
84. Matthew Zimmer (USA) Gateway-Harley Davidson
85. Cooper Rombold (USA) Team California
86. Daniel Lausin (USA) Gateway-Harley Davidson
87. Samuel Boardman (USA) Support Clean Sport/Guttenplan Coaching
88. Brad Evans (Nzl) Mobius Bridgelane
89. Rolando Gonzalez Fernandez (CRc) 303 Project
90. Eric Young (USA) Rally Cycling
91. Cole Davis (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon
92. Samuel Bassetti (USA) Elevate-KHS
93. Gerardo Vicente Medina Robles (Mex) Team California
94. Callum Gordon (Nzl) Team California
95. Jameson Ribbens (USA) Team Rio Grande 38:12
96. Alexis Cartier (Can) H&R Block Pro 38:37
97. Cory Lockwood (USA) Pacific Premier Bank 43:02
OTL Winston David (USA) Cyclus Sports 49:15
OTL Joseph Bacala (USA) Pacific Premier Bank
OTL Rex Roberts (USA) Pacific Premier Bank
OTL Brian Alonso Salas Sanchez (CRc) Team Costa Rica 1:08:17
OTL Juan Enrique Aldapa Avendao (Mex) Pacific Premier Bank 1:08:23
DNS Spencer Downing (USA) Gateway-Harley Davidson
DNF Brad Huff (USA) Rally Cycling
DNF Roman Daniel Villalobos Solis (CRc) Canel’s-Specialized
DNF Ignacio Prado Juarez (Mex) Canel’s-Specialized
DNF Jose Alfredo Santoyo Gonzalez (Mex) Canel’s-Specialized
DNF Alexander Cowan (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
DNF Travis Samuel (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
DNF Oliver Evans (Can) H&R Block Pro
DNF Jayson Valade (Fra) H&R Block Pro
DNF Gage Hecht (USA) Aevolo
DNF Michael Hernandez (USA) Aevolo
DNF Leo Yip (HKg) Team California
DNF Joseph Garey (USA) Pacific Premier Bank
Final GC
1. Robert Britton (Can) Rally Cycling 13:50:42
2. Gavin Mannion (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 00:52
3. Kyle Murphy (USA) Rally Cycling 02:14
4. Serghei Tvetcov (Rom) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 02:46
5. Oscar Eduardo Sanchez Guarin (Col) Canel’s-Specialized 03:22
6. James Piccoli (Can) Elevate-KHS 03:24
7. Isaiah Newkirk (USA) 303 Project 03:37
8. Sean Bennett (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon 04:10
9. Christopher Blevins (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon 04:53
10. Jack Burke (Can) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 05:59
11. Eder Frayre Moctezuma (Mex) Elevate-KHS 06:54
12. Thomas Revard (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon 07:30
13. Lachlan Norris (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 07:35
14. Evan Huffman (USA) Rally Cycling 08:40
15. Flavio De Luna (Mex) 303 Project 10:23
16. Daniel Alexander Jaramillo Diez (Col) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 10:33
17. Alex Hoehn (USA) Aevolo 12:23
18. Cullen Easter (USA) 303 Project 12:40
19. Griffin Easter (USA) 303 Project 13:03
20. Sean Gardner (USA) Gateway-Harley Davidson 13:05
21. Alexander Evans (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 13:27
22. David Greif (USA) Team Rio Grande 13:46
23. Jordan Cheyne (Can) Elevate-KHS 13:58
24. Luis Ricardo Villalobos Hernandez (Mex) Aevolo 14:10
25. Nickolas Zukowsky (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 14:26
26. Angus Lyons (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 15:09
27. Luke Mudgway (Nzl) H&R Block Pro 21:12
28. Ian Garrison (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon 21:39
29. Janier Alexis Acevedo Calle (Col) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 22:38
30. Efren Santos Moreno (Mex) Canel’s-Specialized 24:25
31. Kevin Girkins (USA) Elevate-KHS 24:44
32. Ethan Berends (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 24:47
33. Eduardo Corte Cordero (Mex) Canel’s-Specialized 25:30
34. Ben Foster (USA) Support Clean Sport/Guttenplan Coaching 25:55
35. Brett Wachtendorf (USA) Gateway-Harley Davidson 27:59
36. Curtis White (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 29:37
37. Danny Pate (USA) Rally Cycling 29:47
38. Fernando Islas Lopez (Mex) Aevolo 31:14
39. Taylor Shelden (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 32:12
40. Cormac McGeough (Irl) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 32:42
41. Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 34:23
42. Marc-Antoine Nadon (Can) H&R Block Pro 35:05
43. Cyrus Pearo (USA) Team Rio Grande 36:00
44. Cristhian David Ravelo Avila (Col) 303 Project 36:17
45. Leonel Palma Dajui (Mex) Canel’s-Specialized 36:19
46. Zachary Nehr (USA) Team California 36:21
47. Adam Roberge (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 37:14
48. Michael Gearren II (USA) Cyclus Sports 39:02
49. Keegan Swirbul (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 39:14
50. Brett Rindt (USA) Team Rio Grande 39:18
51. Mauro Rato Castrillo (Esp) Team Rio Grande 39:59
52. Matthew Zimmer (USA) Gateway-Harley Davidson 40:33
53. Thomas Wavrin (USA) Pacific Premier Bank 40:39
54. Kip Taylor (USA) Team Rio Grande 40:44
55. Tyler Stites (USA) Aevolo 40:45
56. Gerardo Vicente Medina Robles (Mex) Team California 41:00
57. Michael Rice (Aus) Hagens Berman Axeon 41:05
58. Ed Anderson (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon
59. Benjamin Wolfe (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 41:22
60. Cooper Rombold (USA) Team California 42:02
61. Aria Kiani (And) Support Clean Sport/Guttenplan Coaching 42:07
62. Jose Alfredo Rodriguez Victoria (Mex) Elevate-KHS 42:54
63. Danick Vandale (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 43:17
64. Pier Andre Cote (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 44:13
65. Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 45:27
66. Jason Saltzman (USA) Aevolo 45:41
67. Samuel Boardman (USA) Support Clean Sport/Guttenplan Coaching 45:42
68. Graydon Staples (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 46:11
69. Jean-Denis Thibault (Can) H&R Block Pro 46:34
70. Cory Lockwood (USA) Pacific Premier Bank 46:39
71. Rolando Gonzalez Fernandez (CRc) 303 Project 47:03
72. Adam De Vos (Can) Rally Cycling 47:22
73. Cole Davis (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon 47:25
74. Steve Fisher (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 47:29
75. George Simpson (USA) Elevate-KHS 48:14
76. Samuel Bassetti (USA) Elevate-KHS 48:35
77. Oliver Flautt (USA) Cyclus Sports 49:02
78. Connor Sallee (USA) Cyclus Sports 49:40
79. Dylan Newbery (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 50:24
80. Callum Gordon (Nzl) Team California 50:54
81. Pablo Luis Mudarra Segura (CRc) Team Costa Rica 51:03
82. Timothy Savre (USA) Team Rio Grande 52:10
83. Daniel Lausin (USA) Gateway-Harley Davidson 52:25
84. Eric Young (USA) Rally Cycling 52:47
85. Jeison Elias Vega Solano (CRc) Team Costa Rica 52:51
86. Parker Kyzer (USA) Cyclus Sports 56:01
87. Aden Reynolds (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 56:51
88. Dennis Ramirez (USA) Gateway-Harley Davidson 57:31
89. Bernat Font Mas (Esp) 303 Project 58:01
90. Brad Evans (Nzl) Mobius Bridgelane 1:01:19
91. Conor O’Brien (Can) H&R Block Pro 1:01:49
92. Lukas Conly (Can) Support Clean Sport/Guttenplan Coaching 1:02:09
93. Alistair Donohoe (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane 1:04:17
94. Daniel Jara Rodriguez (CRc) Team Costa Rica 1:05:44
95. Jameson Ribbens (USA) Team Rio Grande 1:08:15
96. Alexis Cartier (Can) H&R Block Pro 1:08:56
97. Ricky Randall (USA) Cyclus Sports 1:12:41