'A Team That Bought In and Believed': Tyler Williams Claims Valley of the Sun Stage Race Title, Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28 Dominates Women's Competition

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Tyler Williams Triumphs at Valley of the Sun Stage Race; Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28 Sweeps Women's Podium

Tyler Williams, representing L39ION of Los Angeles, delivered a commanding performance to win the overall General Classification (GC) at the prestigious Valley of the Sun Stage Race in Arizona. His victory was underscored by strong individual stage results, including two podium finishes. Simultaneously, Marjorie Rinaldo of Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28 showcased exceptional form, clinching the women's professional GC title after her team's complete dominance across all three stages of the event.

The Valley of the Sun Stage Race, held annually in the Phoenix area for its 34th iteration, saw both L39ION of Los Angeles and Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28 teams leave an indelible mark. The men's squad from L39ION achieved a remarkable feat by winning all three stages, with individual triumphs from Cory Lockwood, Tyler Williams, and Cory Williams. Mirroring this success, the women's Continental squad of Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28 also swept the board, securing all stage victories. Ella Sabo claimed two stages, building on the foundation laid by Rinaldo's win on the opening day.

This season-opening event, which ran from February 13-15, catered to professional, amateur, and junior categories, boasting a substantial prize purse of $14,000, equally distributed among the top 20 finishers in both the men's and women's professional races. L39ION of Los Angeles fielded a strong contingent of seven riders for this opener.

Tyler Williams, 31, publicly expressed his gratitude to his teammates on social media, acknowledging their crucial "big shifts" during the two road stages. This victory signifies a significant personal milestone, marking his return to the L39ION of Los Angeles program after a two-year hiatus spent with three different teams. His previous result at the Valley of the Sun was a sixth-place finish overall last year.

"A winter of doing the training that I need to do. A team that bought in and believed. This feels and looks right. Happy to be back with the L39ION of Los Angeles squad and feeling good on the bike again," Williams shared on Instagram, reflecting on his journey and renewed connection with the team.

Meanwhile, Virginia's Blue Ridge has cemented its legacy at the Valley of the Sun, extending its winning streak to five consecutive years in the women's overall title. The team's success has been remarkable, with Emily Ehrlich previously securing the top spot for an event-record four consecutive years.

Marjorie Rinaldo, the newly crowned women's GC winner, emphasized the team's collective effort. "It was such a privilege to race with Emmi [Gilbert], Ella [Sabo] and Kenna [Pfeiffer]," Rinaldo stated in a team release. "Everyone worked really hard to pull off the win and I couldn’t have asked for a better squad. It means a lot to me to win this stage race. I’ve been trying to win it for five years."

The men's race kicked off with the Hiser Burggraff Curtis Time Trial, a 9.9-mile (16km) course from Buckeye to Phoenix. L39ION of Los Angeles immediately set the pace as Cory Lockwood and Tyler Williams secured a one-two finish. Lockwood clocked the fastest time at 19:03, with Williams just five seconds behind. Albert Taylor of TaG Cycling Race Team and Jack Diemar of Kelly Benefits Cycling rounded out the podium, tying for third place three seconds further back.

Stage 2, the 94-mile Silverhawk Private Wealth-Grand Canyon State Road Race, tested the riders with a challenging multi-circuit course. Tyler Williams demonstrated his versatility by winning the stage in a bunch sprint involving 38 riders, crossing the line in Casa Grande ahead of Alejandro Che (Kelly Benefits Cycling) and Logan Unger (Speedblock p/b Terun). The stage's bonus seconds were crucial, allowing Williams to maintain his momentum and move into second overall in the GC, while his teammate Lockwood held a strong position.

The final stage, the Trilogy Veterinary Medical Center Criterium in Phoenix, featured a technical figure-eight course. L39ION of Los Angeles once again showcased their sprinting prowess, with brothers Cory Williams and Justin Williams taking first and second place, respectively. Alejandro Che, a former US junior criterium champion, secured third place.

Tyler Williams maintained his overall lead, finishing safely within the main peloton in 13th place on the final stage, thus securing the GC victory. Cory Lockwood solidified his second-place finish overall, with Jack Diemar claiming third. Albert Taylor and Frank Tiburzi completed the top five.

In the women's race, the GC battle heated up during the 9.9-mile time trial. Rinaldo and teammate Kenna Pfeiffer achieved a dominant one-two finish, with Rinaldo winning in 21:22. Pfeiffer, in her first career time trial, finished 33 seconds adrift, while Ellexi Snover (SpeedBlock-Terún) took third, an additional five seconds back.

Monarch Racing riders Annie Gilbert and Claudia Ferreira secured fourth and fifth place respectively. Ella Sabo, a teammate of Rinaldo, finished sixth, 49 seconds behind her leader.

Sabo then surged to victory in the subsequent two stages. She won Stage 2, the 62-mile road race, in a field sprint against Cara O'Neill (Team S&M CX) and Minori Minagawa (Speedblock p/b Terun). This win, coupled with a crash involving Pfeiffer (who was in second overall), propelled Sabo into third place in the GC.

Pfeiffer described the Stage 2 sprint as "a bit messy" and was unable to finish after a late crash. On Sunday's final stage, a one-mile criterium around the state capitol, Sabo again proved strongest, out-sprinting Holly Breck and Skylar Schneider of L39ION of Los Angeles. Rinaldo, finishing 10th in the peloton, did enough to secure the overall GC win.

Sabo's strong performance on the final stage allowed her to overtake Snover for second place overall by a narrow three-second margin. Gilbert and Ferreira of Monarch Racing rounded out the top five.

Reflecting on her Stage 2 victory, Sabo commented, "I was beyond excited to take the win in my first race wearing the U23 stars and stripes." She added, "Winning the crit and finishing second on GC behind Marj was the perfect way to cap off the weekend! Emmi worked tirelessly for the team, and Marj controlled the race perfectly, setting me up to sprint for the win. I’m so proud of our small but mighty squad for winning every stage and taking 1-2 GC together."

Ekhbary News Agency