Evelyn Stevens Continues to Lead at Halfway Point of Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile

Evelyn Stevens again finished in the peloton at the front of the Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile on Tuesday as the top 74 riders finished in the peloton. Stevens was 47th in that group and joined by fellow Americans Megan Guarnier (16th), Scotti Lechuga (31st), and Kristabel Doebel-Hickok (41st). Mara Abbott was the fifth American in the top 100 as she finished 82nd. Stevens continues to lead by three seconds but Guarnier is now 13 seconds back in third. Abbott slid further behind, now 50 seconds back in eighth. Further back but still top 100 Americans include Doebel-Hickok 2:08 back in 17th, Amber Neben 5:58 back in 49th, and Alexis Ryan in 86th.

Wednesday will be a competition low 48.2 mile stage. There will be regular stages all of the remaining days except for an individual time trial Friday. The Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile wraps up on Sunday.

Previous Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile Coverage:
Preview
Prologue Update
Stage 1 Update
Stage 2 Update
Stage 3 Update

Tejay Van Garderen Up to 15th After Fourth Stage of Tour de France

Tejay Van Garderen has only been the first American across the line in one of the four stages of the Tour de France so far, but he remains the first American overall. Lawson Craddock was the first American in 13th while Van Garderen was 38th but both finished as part of the peloton. Van Garderen slid up one spot to 15th and is now 18 seconds behind the leader while Craddock remained 35th and now 35 seconds back. No other Americans were in the top 100 on Tuesday but Peter Stetina is still in the top 100 overall in 70th.

Wednesday is a 134-mile medium-mountain stage, the most climbing so far, as the Tour de France opens with nine straight days of racing followed by a day off and seven more days of racing. After a second day of rest the races ends with five final days of racing. There are two time trials, one in stage 13 for 23 miles and one in the mountains in stage 18 for 11 miles.

Previous Tour de France Coverage:
Preview
Stage One Update
Stage Two Update
Stage Three Update

Evelyn Stevens Maintains Lead in Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile

Evelyn Stevens maintained her lead in the Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile on Monday as the top 112 riders finished in the peloton and Stevens was 27th. Stevens was joined by Megan Guarnier (seventh), Kristabel Doebel-Hickok (46th), Mara Abbott (67th), and Amber Neben (110th) in that peloton group. Stevens has a three second lead and Guarnier is 16 seconds back in third with Abbott 37 seconds back in sixth. Others that aren’t quite in contention include Doebel-Hickok 2:08 back in 17th, Neben 5:25 back in 45th, and Alexis Ryan in 80th.

Tuesday will be a 61.2 mile stage. There will be regular stages all of the remaining days except for an individual time trial Friday. The Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile wraps up on Sunday.

Previous Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile Coverage:
Preview
Prologue Update
Stage 1 Update
Stage 2 Update

Tejay Van Garderen Up to 16th After Third Stage of Tour de France

Tejay Van Garderen finished 43rd, but part of a large peloton including three Americans, as he moved up to 16th in the overall standings, still trailing the leader by 14 seconds. Van Garderen was beat to the finish line on the day by Lawson Craddock who finished 17th and is still 35th overall 31 seconds back. Peter Stetina did finish with the peloton, though in 120th. Stetina is up to 59th overall after picking up five spots on Monday.

Tuesday is a 148-mile flat stage as the Tour de France opens with nine straight days of racing followed by a day off and seven more days of racing. After a second day of rest the races ends with five final days of racing. There are two time trials, one in stage 13 for 23 miles and one in the mountains in stage 18 for 11 miles.

Previous Tour de France Coverage:
Preview
Stage One Update
Stage Two Update

Howard Grotts Places 21st at UCI Mountain Bike Cross Country World Championships

No one expected the US men to match Lea Davison’s silver medal performance on Sunday so when Howard Grotts finished 21st it wasn’t a bad result. Grotts has only finisher higher than 20th once so far this year in the three UCI World Cup events. The 23-year-old is still on the rise in the sport and could be a medal contender in the coming years. Stephen Ettinger finished 50th and Spencer Paxson was 63rd, certainly a better result compared to expectations for Paxson than Ettinger.

The cross country athletes will be back on the world cup tour when they stop in Lenzerheide, Switzerland next weekend.

UCI Mountain Bike Cross Country World Championships Coverage:
Preview
Wednesday Update
Thursday Update
Saturday Update

Tejay Van Garderen in 18th After Second Stage of 2016 Tour de France

Tejay Van Garderen finished 19th in the second stage of the Tour de France, part of 26 riders to finish with the top time, and moved from 68th up to 18th. 14 seconds behind the leader. Lawson Craddock had another good finish on Sunday with a 35th place finish 17 seconds back. Craddock is also in 35th overall 31 seconds back. Peter Stetina in 64th, both for the stage and overall, was the only other American in the top 100.

Monday is a 139-mile flat stage as the Tour de France opens with nine straight days of racing followed by a day off and seven more days of racing. After a second day of rest the races ends with five final days of racing. There are two time trials, one in stage 13 for 23 miles and one in the mountains in stage 18 for 11 miles.

Previous Tour de France Coverage:
Preview
Stage One Update

Evelyn Stevens Takes Lead From Megan Guarnier in Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile

It’s still an American a top the standings in the Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile but it’s not the same one that was there on Saturday. Evelyn Stevens used a big win to gain 24 seconds on Megan Guarnier and pass her for first place despite Guarnier finishing fifth. Mara Abbott made if three Americans in the top five with a fourth place finish, three seconds back, and moved into sixth overall, 36 seconds back. Kristabel Doebel-Hickok placed in the top 25 again, this time in 14th 1:14 back, and moved up to 17th, now 2:07 behind the leaders. The other Americans to finish in the top 100 were Amber Neben in 57th, Alexis Ryan in 81st, and Liza Rachetto in 95th. Neben is 5:24 back in 45th while Ryan is 80th.

Monday will be a competition long 74.6 mile stage. There will be regular stages all of the remaining days except for an individual time trial Friday. The Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile wraps up on Sunday the 10th.

Previous Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile Coverage:
Preview
Prologue Update
Stage 1 Update

Lea Davison Takes Silver on Fantastic Day for US at UCI Mountain Bike Cross Country World Championships

Lea Davison has been in the top twenty at all three world cup events so far this season but she hasn’t come close to the performance she had at the UCI Mountain Bike Cross Country World Championship on Saturday. Davison was 16th after the starting loop and had to work her way up through the standings, still sitting outside the medals going into the last lap. Davison really brought it on the final lap, passing two competitors and finishing the lap three seconds quicker than anyone else and with a silver medal awaiting her.

Her push for silver was as amazing as the fall for those in second and third going into the last lap. Poland’s Maja Wloszczowska was 57 seconds ahead of Davison going into the final lap but was 17th fastest on the final lap, almost a minute and a half slower than Davison, and then got beat to the line in a photo finish by Emily Batty of Canada for the bronze. Sabine Spitz of Germany was over a half minute in front of Davison going into the final lap but was 40th fastest on that lap, three and half minutes behind Davison, as she wound up ninth.

Davison wasn’t the only American to have a strong day as Erin Huck placed 11th, Chloe Woodruff was 14th, and Georgia Gould was 15th. It was better finishes for Huck and Gould than they have achieved on the world cup series this year and Woodruff was one off her series high from the year. Mary McConneloug in 30th and Rose Grant in 32nd completed a great day for the US.

Tomorrow in the men’s race Stephen Ettinger, Howard Grotts, and Spencer Paxson will compete for the US.

On Saturday seven Americans, including Davison, will take part in the women’s cross country race. Also in the field are Chloe Woodruff and American national champion Erin Huck. Both Ettinger and Grotts have multiple top 32 finishes this year.

UCI Mountain Bike Cross Country World Championships Coverage:
Preview
Wednesday Update
Thursday Update

Four Americans in Peloton of First Stage of 2016 Tour de France

The 2016 Tour de France began with a 117-mile flat stage on Saturday and most of the field was able to finish in the peloton. Lawson Craddock (51st), Tejay Van Garderen (68th), Peter Stetina (126th), and Alex Howes (127th) all finished with the same time as the winner of the stage while Brent Bookwalter was 2:48 back in 187th.

Sunday is a 114-mile hilly stage as the Tour de France opens with nine straight days of racing followed by a day off and seven more days of racing. After a second day of rest the races ends with five final days of racing. There are two time trials, one in stage 13 for 23 miles and one in the mountains in stage 18 for 11 miles.

Previous Tour de France Coverage:
Preview

Megan Guarnier Takes Lead in Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile

Megan Guarnier may not have lead after day one but a second place finish on day two propelled her into an eight second lead in her quest for her third straight win. Guarnier was one of six to finish with the top time while Evelyn Stevens finished five seconds further back in seventh. Stevens jumped from 10th to fifth, 14 seconds back. Mara Abbott had a really strong day and finished ninth, nine seconds back, and made a massive move from 126th to 10th but still trails by 37 seconds. Two other Americans finished in the top 50, Kristabel Doebel-Hickok in 19th, 41 seconds back, and Amber Neben in 45th, 1:03 back. Doebel-Hickok is 25th overall, 57 seconds back, while Neben is 42nd, 1:18 back. The only other American to finish in the top 100 was Alexis Ryan in 95th, though she still sits at 81st overall.

Sunday will be a 69 mile stage. There will be regular stages all of the remaining days except for an individual time trial Friday. The Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile wraps up on Sunday the 10th.

Previous Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile Coverage:
Preview
Prologue Update