The Sho-Air Twenty20 star again makes strategic move to win third straight stage.
GOLDEN, Colo. – Winning the first two stages of the 2019 Colorado Classic presented by VF Corporation was not enough for 22-year-old Chloe Dygert on Saturday during Stage 3 in Golden.
As numerous racers attacked throughout the race, breaking away only to be sucked back into the peloton, Dygert waited until just before the final lap to charge ahead and not only win her third straight stage but also handily maintain the yellow Gates Corporation General Classification Jersey as race leader as well as FirstBank Sprint Leader, Colorado Tourism Office Queen of the Mountain and VF Corporation Best Young Rider.
“It was an on-the-fly decision,” Dygert said of her move. “I had that gap and I looked back and saw some heads hanging. Again I said, ‘OK, let’s keep this going for as long as I can.’ I knew either way we were going to have a solid day.”
Dygert completed the 63.7-mile Stage 3 circuit course in 2 hours, 27 minutes and 45 seconds as her Sho-Air Twenty20 teammate Jennifer Valente of Colorado Springs was second across the finish line, 5 seconds back.
“Nobody should give Chloe an inch, because she will keep going,” Valente joked after the race.
Fearless Femme’s Rebecca Wiasak, who won Stage 1 of the 2018 Colorado Classic, took third in Stage 3 after a mid-race breakaway in which she led for two laps with only Silvia Valsecchi (BePink) on her wheel and the peloton as much as 50 seconds behind her.
“We wanted to make the race aggressive. All my teammates had a go off the front at various times. The wind really picked up and it was really hard. I thought, these girls are just sitting in the bunch having a cruise-y ride and I’m dying. I thought when I was in the break, hopefully I’ll get the Badass jersey for this. If I can get to the climb with the lead group, I might have a chance of hanging on,” Wiasak said.
Then Dygert came charging past.
“We kind of joked that Chloe might try the exact same move she’s done the last two days,” Wiasak said. “I thought if I had the legs and I hadn’t been at the front for two laps, I could have probably gone after her. I’m stoked to finish on the podium after such a tough day at the front.”
It was Wiasak’s teammate, Rachel Langdon (Fearless Femme), who launched the string of attacks on a day that saw average speeds of around 26 miles per hour, to win the VF Corporation Most Badass Jersey. Ayesha McGowan (ALP Cycles Racing), who is working to become the first African-American female pro cyclist, also launched a solid attack mid-race and earned the Audi Most Inspirational Jersey.
“It’s a pretty big deal,” McGowan said after the race. “It’s definitely the toughest race I’ve ever participated in and definitely the most elite race. It’s been phenomenal to be a part of it. I raced my heart out and the crowd today was insane.”
Dygert now has a 1 minute, 36-second race lead over Brodie Chapman (TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank) with Omer Shapira (Canyon-SRAM) 1:53.00 back and the rest of the field well over 2 minutes behind.
Racing wraps up Sunday with the grand finale in Denver. Stage 4 presented by Gates Corporation starts at 1:30 p.m. in front of Coors Field and will feature eight fast laps around downtown, up and down E. 17th Ave. and around City Park for a total of 52.8 miles and 1,345 feet of climbing.
Those who can’t watch the race in person can watch live streaming coverage from start to finish and follow statistics and race progress by downloading Tour Tracker.
FINISH STANDINGS
- #71 – Chloe DYGERT – Sho-Air Twenty20
- #72 – Jennifer VALENTE – Sho-Air Twenty20
- #111 – Rebecca WIASAK – Fearless Femme
GATES CORPORATION GENERAL CLASSIFICATION JERSEY
leader – #71 – Chloe DYGERT – Sho-Air Twenty20
COLORADO TOURISM QUEEN OF THE MOUNTAIN LEADER JERSEY
leader – #71 – Chloe DYGERT – Sho-Air Twenty20
worn by – #32 Edwige PITEL – Cogeas Mettler Look
VF CORPORATION MOST BADASS JERSEY
leader – #115 – Rachel LANGDON – Fearless Femme
AUDI MOST INSPIRATIONAL JERSEY
leader – #135 – Ayesha MCGOWAN – ALP Cycles Racing
FIRSTBANK SPRINT LEADER JERSEY
leader – #71 – Chloe DYGERT – Sho-Air Twenty20
worn by – #41 – Brodie CHAPMAN – TIBCO-SVB
VF CORPORATION BEST YOUNG RIDER JERSEY
leader – #71 – Chloe DYGERT – Sho-Air Twenty20
worn by – #22 – Omer SHAPIRA – Canyon-SRAM
