Tour of the Gila: Grace Arlandson and Adam Lewis claim first UCI wins from breakaway on stage 3

Stage 3 of the Tour of the Gila produced surprising outcomes as breakaway riders triumphed in both the women’s and men’s races, defying expectations of typical bunch sprints. Grace Arlandson of Aegis x Leaders of Enchantment secured her first UCI victory on the 74.1-mile women’s Inner Loop road race, continuing her team’s dominant run with a win ahead of teammate and race leader Lauren Stephens. Meanwhile, in the men’s event, Adam Lewis of APS claimed his maiden UCI stage win after breaking clear alongside teammate Conn McDunphy, who finished second, while Carlos Garcia took third in the sprint from the peloton. The women’s race was marked by an early decisive selection at the first King of the Mountains point, where a group of ten riders, including the top three in the general classification and four from Aegis, broke away. Despite a crash reducing their numbers, this group maintained their advantage to the finish, with the main peloton arriving over eleven minutes later. Defending champion Lauren Stephens remains firmly in control of the overall standings, holding a lead of nearly two minutes over Ashley Frye and more than two and a half minutes over Emily Gilbert. In the men’s race, the 76.2-mile course through the Gila National Forest and Mimbres Valley saw Lewis and McDunphy successfully escape the peloton to contest the stage win. Walter Vargas of Medellín-EPM, finishing safely in the bunch, retained the overall lead with a slender 17-second margin over Henrique de Silva Avancini, while Diego Camargo sits third, just over 40 seconds behind. The race continues to showcase a competitive field with several riders within striking distance of the top positions. The Tour of the Gila will proceed with the Downtown Silver City Criterium on Saturday, followed by the concluding Gila Monster Road Race on Sunday. Both stages promise to further test the riders’ endurance and tactics as the five-day event nears its conclusion. Arlandson’s and Lewis’s breakthrough victories highlight the potential for unexpected results and the importance of aggressive racing in this challenging and scenic event.