Rebecca Much took the overall title of the Tucson Bicycle Classic Sunday after starting the final stage trailing by seven seconds. “I just kept thinking that if I can win this stage I can win the overall,” she said after the race.
The Team TIBCO rider knew she had to time her sprint perfectly for the uphill finish. She jumped at the 100 meter mark to take the stage win, and along with it, the 10 second time bonus to lock up the overall competition.
“I haven’t won a sprint in a long time,” she said. “There was another time bonus sprint on the line about half-way through the race, and I used that one as practice to make sure I got it right for the finish.”
Much opened the three-day race by taking 2nd in the time trial, and followed it with another 2nd place in Saturday’s road race. Tucson was the continuation of a strong early season for Much, who also took the victory two weeks ago in Snelling.
“Tucson is a really good race,” she said. “It’s well run, and everyone raced well. It was good preparation for San Dimas and Redlands. I’m really excited about those races.”