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Central Valley Classic - USA

Kearney Road Race, 120 km

Fresno, California

The Victory Brewing Cycling Team wins the Kearney Road Race with an unmatched lead out and an explosive sprint

Team Website

Written by Kirsten Robbins

The Victory Brewing Cycling Team wins the Kearney Road Race with an unmatched lead out and an explosive sprint. 

The women gathered to the start line in undesirable weather conditions where discussions of a reduced race took place. The teams agreed that due to the cold, rain, and hail the race would be shortened from six laps to five. The circuit was a 24 km and flat, finishing in the Kearney Park. 

There were many unsuccessful attacks during the race but the field stayed together until the finish. The race was also marred with flat tires and crashes. Victory Brewing’s Leigh Hobson and Team Lipton’s Laura Van Gilder were forced to stop their race due to a crash on the second to last lap.  

The Victory Brewing Cycling Team planned a perfectly executed lead out for Laura Yoisten beginning with approximately three kilometers to go.  With the train tight, communicative, and intact, Yoisten was dropped off with 250 meters to the finish line. “The team was amazing and I felt like I didn’t have to do a thing except sprint,” says Yoisten. Victory Brewing placed three riders in the top ten with Yoisten winning the race, Franges taking fourth, and Lyons ninth.

Yoisten has accumulated enough point to move her into third place in the overall omnium behind Webcor’s Christine Thornburn and Team Liptons’s Kristin Armstrong.