CHARLESTON – Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Oatly) successfully defended her title in the elite women’s road race at the USA Pro Road Championships on Monday.

The decorated cyclist and Olympian clinched the victory in a thrilling three-way sprint to the finish line. Lauren Stephens (Aegis Cycling Foundation) secured second place, while Katherine Sarkisov (CCB p/b Levine Law Group) finished third.

Race Highlights and Strategy

“I knew we had to catch Emma [Langley]; she’s a strong athlete…so I knew we had to catch her,”

Faulkner discussed her strategy in a post-race interview, emphasizing the need to reel in Emma Langley. “Going into the last two laps, I pushed the pace on the climbs and with one and half to go, we had to go, we had to play hardball. I knew we had to catch Emma [Langley]; she’s a strong athlete, we have been teammates before, she was national champion before, so I knew we had to catch her,” Faulkner said.

Reflecting on the dynamics among the breakaway riders in the final stretch, she noted, “I was worried that when we caught her, there would be counterattacks and the pace would be high, so thankfully Lauren and Katherine worked with me; very strong ride by both of them.”

faulkner also highlighted her focus on improving her sprinting capabilities. “I knew going into the end, it would be hard to attack because Lauren was covering my attacks all day, so I’ve never won from a sprint before, and said, ‘If there was ever a day to make it happen, we gotta make it happen today.’ I’ve been working on my sprint all winter,and thankfully,it worked today.”

With 19km remaining, Faulkner launched a important attack on the Bridge Road ascent.Stephens matched her pace, and Sarkisov later joined them.

The trio overtook Emma Langley, who had initiated a solo breakaway earlier in the race. Jamie Chapman (Speedblock p/b terun) briefly joined Langley before being overtaken.

In the final moments, Stephens launched an attack on the Wertz climb, with Faulkner responding swiftly. Although Sarkisov briefly lost contact, she managed to rejoin the leaders with 3.8km to the finish line.

Sarkisov led the group into the final corners, initiating her sprint first. However, Stephens countered on the right, with Faulkner surging ahead to secure the victory.

Race Course and Key Moments

The race began with two laps of the 14.4km junior circuit, featuring the challenging Wertz climb. The course then shifted to four laps of a 20.9km combined circuit, totaling 113.8km.

Langley launched the first major attack, creating a 40-second gap. Cynisca played a crucial role in managing the gap, keeping it around 1:10.

Chapman later chased down Langley, forming a duo with 35km remaining. However, their lead diminished as Cynisca led the chase.

Faulkner strategically positioned herself,waiting for the opportune moment to make her move.

Langley attacked again on the Wertz climb, but Chapman rejoined her. As the race progressed, Langley once again went solo.

Faulkner’s attack on the bridge climb proved decisive, splitting the peloton. Stephens was the only rider able to keep up with Faulkner’s pace.

Faulkner and Stephens caught Langley with 18.2km remaining,setting the stage for the final sprint. Sarkisov then joined them, forming the ultimate breakaway group.