Tour of the Gila: Ella Sabo wins bunch sprint on stage 4 as Patrick Welch takes breakaway victory

Ella Sabo secured a notable victory on stage 4 of the Tour of the Gila women’s race, triumphing in a bunch sprint after 25 laps of a 27-mile criterium in downtown Silver City. Riding for Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28, Sabo, the reigning U23 road national champion, claimed her seventh win of the season and her first at UCI level. She finished ahead of Camille Desroches Laflamme and Grace Arlandson, with her team effectively controlling the peloton throughout the race to set up the sprint finish. In the men’s race, the outcome was decided by a successful breakaway, with Patrick Welch of APS Pro Cycling narrowly edging out Brandon Rojas and Cole Kessler to claim the stage win. The trio had escaped early and maintained a sufficient lead over the 40-lap, 43.2-mile criterium to hold off the chasing peloton. Tyler Stites led the main group across the line 14 seconds behind, securing fourth place, while overall leader Walter Vargas finished safely in the bunch to preserve his advantage in the general classification. Lauren Stephens retained her grip on the women’s overall lead, holding a 1:51 margin over Ashley Frye and nearly three minutes ahead of Emily Gilbert. On the men’s side, Walter Vargas continued to lead the general classification, holding a 17-second advantage over Henrique de Silva Avancini, with Diego Camargo in third. Defending champion Kieran Haug and teammate Stites remain in contention, placed fourth and fifth respectively, though trailing by over 45 seconds. The Tour of the Gila will conclude with the challenging Gila Monster Road Race on Sunday, featuring significant climbing for both the men and women. The women face a 65.9-mile route with over 5,400 feet of elevation gain, while the men will tackle 100.6 miles and nearly 10,000 feet of climbing. This final stage promises to be decisive in shaping the overall standings and could bring dramatic shifts in the race’s outcome.