Life Time Grand Prix: Stella Hobbs uses long-range solo attack to win elite women’s Big Sugar Gravel

Stella Hobbs (MAAP-ENVE) soloed to victory in the elite women’s gravel race at Big Sugar Classic in Bentonville, Arkansas on Saturday. From a four-rider chase group, Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialized Off-road) won the sprint for second and Hayley Preen (ChemChamp Honeycomb) secured third.

Karolina Migoń (PAS Racing) jumped early to the front before the final left-hand bend that led to the uphill straightaway, and she finished fifth, passed at the end by Kylee Hanel (Cervelo-Maxxis).

The race was the sixth and final event in the Life Time Grand Prix. Overall leader Villafañe took a 12-point lead into the race and added to that margin to win her fourth series title in five years. Preen secured her second place overall with her third-place finish, while Hobbs moved up to 12th overall.

Last year in the storm-shortened Arkansas event, Hobbs finished third. The year before on the traditional 100-plus mile route, she finished seventh. A podium spot was a target to make a big move from 12th in the series into the top 10, where the season-ending prize purse of $350,000 would be shared among women and men.

“I have often said here I would just really like to see the front of the race finish. I’ve always wanted that, and that can be a really good motivator,” Hobbs told organisers at the finish.

“When I broke away over the top of the ‘power line’ climb, I thought, maybe. And then I quickly backed myself down from that. Then we have those two paved climbs into the finish, and I did not believe that I would get over the top of both of those without getting caught, until I was through [the climbs and final corners], and then I finally believed I could win it.

“This is my favourite race on the calendar. I would say the first half I wasn’t so sure if it would be my favourite race of the day. We just had such a big group, and I kind of lost track of myself and didn’t really know what I should be doing or where I should be. But by the second half, I remembered how much I love it here.”

Villafañe said the race was made in the second half, where climbing was more substantial at a 24% gradient along a rough road after the final checkpoint and riders had to overcome tired legs.

“You start to have a lot of climbs, and you had Paige [Onweller] really looking to animate the race, and Karo [Migoń] was animating, and so was I. The group just slowly started to whittle down, whittle down, and really going into the second feed zone, Stella was really, really pushing the pace, and I was like, I think this girl has winning legs today. But I didn’t want to quite tell her that.

“I was hoping to make it up the power line climb with her, and then be able to go. We tried really hard to bring Stella back and we couldn’t.

“Super hard day. It was actually very, very tactical. I am super happy to have a good ride,” Villafañe told Life Time broadcast at the finish.

One of the surprising moves of the day came from Hanel, the U23 leader in the Life Time Grand Prix who stayed with the elites to the end. The result should give her the women’s U23 title. A total of 18 of the top 20 riders in Big Sugar were part of the Life Time Grand Prix.

Bold move on steep climb

A total of 53 women took the early-morning start in Bentonville 10 minutes after the elite men. The front group held together across the early 30 miles of mixed terrain in northwest Arkansas, crossing into Missouri, with Morgan Aguirre (PAS Racing), Hannah Otto (Scott Sports USA) and the stars-and-stripes of US gravel national champion Paige Onweller (Trek Driftless) at the front.

The climbing picked up beyond the first aid station in Pineville, and New Zealander Charlotte Clarke took a flyer after two hours of racing.

With under 55 miles to go, Clarke’s escapade was over and she found herself in a chasing group behind a new lead pack, Villafañe with Onweller, Migoń, Cecile Lejeune (Trek Driftless), Hobbs, Preen, and Sarah Lange, as well as women’s U23 rivals Samanth Johnson (Lunchbox Racing) and Hanel.

Heading to the final checkpoint near Washburn, Missouri at Rockford Grange, the lead group hit out on one of the rougher roads with a two-minute margin on solo attacker Lauren De Crescenzo. There was a 1:20 gap to the next group of chasers, which included Johnson, Agurirre, Alexis Skarda, Danni Shrosbree, Haley Smith, Ruby Ryan, Samara Sheppard, Emma Langley and Decker. Otto had fallen off the pace, riding in 19th position.

Six riders – Villafane, Hobbs, Onweller, Preen, Migon and Lejeune rolled through Rockford Grange in a long line as they took final hydration, none stopping for technical assistance. Lange dangled about 10 seconds back with Hanel close by. They were all together once on a short paved section.

Back on gravel, on a steep climb with loose dirt and rocks, Hobbs punched hard and gained a little gap, as a few riders swerved and tried to stay upright behind, now in chase mode. She gained 25 seconds at the top of the climb, and another 33 seconds across the next 10 miles, leaving 15 miles to go.

Hobbs continued to build her lead and never saw the chasers in her rear view, gliding across the pavement at the finish line with her first Life Time event victory.

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Results elite women’s top 25