[RESULTS & SUMMARY] 2019 Amgen Tour of California Powered with SRAM Women’s Stage 2

The Boels Dolmans Cycling Team staked their claim of Mt. Baldy at the midpoint of the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Race empowered with SRAM, with the powerhouse duo of Katie Hall (Oakland, Calif.) and Anna van der Breggen (NED) coming over the summit finish together. Hall, the reigning race champion, picked up her first stage win this year, with van der Breggen putting more time into her overall race lead established yesterday when she rode solo to a Stage 1 win. The World Champion will ride into tomorrow’s race conclusion in Pasadena +29” ahead of Hall, who moved up to second place in the overall, and +1:06” up on CCC-Liv’s Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) in third.

Hall’s epic climb catapulted her to the top of the QOM competition, which she has won twice before in this race, with Astana’s Blanca Liliana Moreno Canchon (COL), and van der Breggen still leading the Sprint competition by a large margin.

The Boels Dolmans duo took the lead on the steepest part of the climb up the mountain and was followed by Moolman-Pasio (RSA) in third for the stage. Before Boels Dolmans attacked, WNT ROTOR Pro Cycling Team’s Kathrin Hammes (GER) and CANYON//SRAM Racing’s Omer Shapira (ISR), who earned the Breakaway from Heart DiseaseTM Most Courageous Rider Jersey for time spent in a solo lead up the steep gradient, were out front as the last standing from the three-woman breakaway, with Team Sunweb’s Coryn Rivera (Tustin, Calif.) having fallen back to the chase group. Cogeas Mettler Look Pro Cycling Team’s Olga Zabelinskaya (UZB) then made an appearance in the lead group along with Moolman-Pasio.

Before the climbing began, speeds were high (nearly 30mph), as the peloton pushed off for Stage 2 presented by Visit California from Ontario and Valcar Cylance Cycling kept up the pace trying to thin out the lead group. Their rider Elisa Balsamo (ITA) placed second for yesterday’s stage and went into today leading the TAG Heuer Best Young Rider competition, however, Team Sunweb’s Juliette Labous (FRA) overtook that lead today.

FRIDAY, MAY 17

Podium: Stage 2 presented by Visit California

1. Katie Hall (USA), Boels Dolmans Cycling Team (NED), 2h36’39”
2. Anna van der Breggen (NED), Boels Dolmans Cycling Team (NED), + :00”
3. Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA), CCC-LIV (NED), +0:33″

Jersey Winners after Stage 2:

• Amgen Race Leader Jersey – Anna van der Breggen (NED), Boels Dolmans Cycling Team (NED)
• Breakaway from Cancer® Most Courageous Rider Jersey – Omer Shapira (ISR), Canyon//SRAM Racing (GER)
• Lexus Queen of the Mountain (QOM) Jersey – Katie Hall (USA), Boels Dolmans Cycling Team (NED)
• Visit California Sprint Jersey – Anna van der Breggen (NED), Boels Dolmans Cycling Team (NED)
• TAG Heuer Best Young Rider Jersey – Juliette Labous (FRA), Team Sunweb (NED)