Team Sunweb’s Coryn Rivera (Tustin, Calif.) led a fast and furious group sprint over the finish line to claim Stage 3 of the Amgen Breakaway from Heart Disease™ Women’s Race empowered with SRAM as it streamed into the Sacramento area today.
“The girls were perfect. There was some chaos on the side, but we just stuck to the plan, and we executed perfectly, and I couldn’t have pulled it off without them,” said Rivera.
With the final day of racing on tap in downtown Sacramento tomorrow, UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling’s Katie Hall (Saratoga, Calif.) retains the overall race lead with one second separating her from Boels-Dolmans’ 2016 Olympic Games road race gold medalist Anna van der Breggen (NED). Her teammate and last year’s race champion Megan Guarnier (San Mateo, Calif.) heads into tomorrow in third place overall, 29 seconds off the lead.
Hall, who likely locked up the Queen of the Mountain category win today, says of her one-second lead: “Better than no seconds!… It really is an honor to be wearing the yellow [Amgen Race Leader] jersey for the women in my home state.” Of her team’s chances tomorrow: “We do love the stage – we’ve been here a couple of times. We’re excited to fight tomorrow.”
24-year old Cuban cyclist Arlenis Sierra (Astana Women’s Team) took over the Visit California Sprint Jersey as well as the TAG Heuer Best Young Rider Jersey with her second-place finish today. Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling’s sprinter Giorgia Bronzini (ITA) rounded out the podium in third place for the stage.
Earlier in the day, a breakaway including Mexican champion Ingrid Drexel (Team TIBCO – Silicon Valley Bank), Rally Cycling’s Erica Allar (Fogelsville, Penn.) and Hagens Berman | Supermint’s Scotti Lechuga (High Point, NC) brought their lead over the peloton to one minute.
Visit Dallas DNA Pro Cycling’s Mandy Heintz (San Antonio, Texas) rode aggressively throughout the day, including a stint in a solo breakaway after an attack with 13 miles to go that she nurtured to a 35-second lead. Her ride earned her the Breakaway from Cancer® / Breakaway from Heart DiseaseTM Most Courageous Rider Jersey
Presented by Lexus, Stage 3 brought the riders 73.3 miles from first-time Host City Elk Grove to Sacramento, where the race champion will be decided tomorrow after 20 blazing fast circuit laps around the State Capitol Building.
Stage 4 of the women’s race runs 12:30-2:10 p.m. tomorrow in downtown Sacramento. Fans are in for a whole day of pro cycling action, as the men’s week-long Amgen Tour of California race begins at the same location, rolling off at 12:25 a.m. and finishing the day at 3:30 p.m.
Stage 3 Podium
1. Coryn Rivera (USA), Team Sunweb (NED)
2. Arlenis Sierra (CUB), Astana Women’s Team (KAZ)
3. Giorgia Bronzini (ITA), Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling (GBR)
Stage 3 Jersey Winners
Amgen Race Leader Jersey – Katie Hall (USA), UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team (USA)
Breakaway from Cancer® / Breakaway from Heart DiseaseTM Most Courageous Rider Jersey – Mandy Heintz (USA), Visit Dallas DNA Pro Cycling (USA)
Lexus Queen of the Mountain (QOM) Jersey – Katie Hall (USA), UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team (USA)
Visit California Sprint Jersey – Arlenis Sierra (CUB), Astana Women’s Team (KAZ)
TAG Heuer Best Young Rider Jersey – Arlenis Sierra (CUB), Astana Women’s Team (KAZ)
