The 2023 Gila Tour already has its respective champions in the women’s and men’s versions, after the fifth and last segment held this Sunday. Alex Hoehn and Austin Killips celebrated big, although the Spanish Oscar Sevilla tried until the last moment and took the partial victory of that stage.
The last men’s stage was run between Silver City and Piños Altos, in a 162-kilometre journey that included five mountain passes: two third-category, another two second-category and one more first-category.
From the first kilometers the day’s break was completed with 19 riders, who kept the lead for a good part of the route and quickly took a good lead, which ended up increasing once the mountain passes appeared.
Little by little, the group of adventurers got tired and the peloton caught up with them, to the point that on the way to the final port, only Oscar Sevilla and Alex Hoehn were ahead, while the leader of the general Torbjorn Andre Roed lost the wheel, time and incidentally his hopes of being champion were dashed.
Hoehn and Sevilla led the final kilometer together and although the Spaniard from Team Medellín pushed the pace, he could not get rid of the American. The Iberian won, although with the same time as his rival, so despite the bonuses for the European, it was not enough for him to be champion. Hoehn took the title just two seconds apart.
Among the females… a name
For its part, the final stage of the women’s race was held over 110 kilometers between Silver City and Piños Altos. A second-category port and third-category ascents at the beginning and end marked the altimetry of the last fraction.
Although much of the competition showed a series of attacks and even the formation of a breakaway, the peloton ended up showing its power by controlling the pace of the distance race, without allowing the breakaways to gain many kilometers and minutes.
With all the attacks averted, there was little the lot could do before the whiplash of GC leader Austin Killips, who went solo with just over three miles to go, causing a fair amount of cuts in the process. in the squad
While Killips headed towards victory, the chasers, led by the Mexican Marcela Prieto, reached the finish line eight seconds behind, to sign the title for the American.
Classification Stage 5 (female)
1. Austin Killips (Amy D Foundation) – 3h:07m:16s
2. Marcela Prieto (Pato Bike BMC) at 8s
3. Cassandra Nelson (Amy D Foundation) at 12s
General Classification (final)
1. Austin Killips (Amy D Foundation) – 12h:10m:00s
2. Marcela Prieto (Pato Bike BMC) at 1m:29s
3. Emily Ehrlich (Virginia Blue Ridge) at 1m:33s
Classification Stage 5 (male)
1. Oscar Sevilla (Team Medellin) – 4h:11m:15s
2. Alex Hoehn (Above & Beyond Cancer) to m.t.
3. Lars Quaedvlieg (Universe Cycling) at 2m:37s
General Classification (male)
1. Alex Hoehn (Above & Beyond Cancer) at 13h:11m:20s
2. Oscar Sevilla (Team Medellín) at 2s
3. Torbjorn Andre Roed (Above & Beyond Cancer) at 2m:23s
Source: Colombia Sports