To say Lauren Stephens is an all-rounder falls wanting capturing the true range she shows on a bicycle as it is a rider at house on the highway, in a time trial, on the gravel or off-road on the mountain bike. After 11 seasons as an expert bicycle owner, she has received US nationwide championships – highway and gravel – a continental highway championship in addition to particular person highway levels and multi-day GC titles.
Stephens has competed at world championships throughout three disciplines – highway, gravel and marathon mountain bike. She’s making her debut as a part of the invited discipline on the Life Time Grand Prix off-road collection within the US and starting the early season in Europe on the highway. The pavement is a key precedence this season, not less than earlier than Unbound Gravel in early June.
“My important focus this 12 months is making an attempt to make the Olympic group, by means of the time trial. The US has two spots so my important focus is that. So up till Nationals, all my focus is on the time trial and on the highway,” Stephens informed Cyclingnews.
“Going into this 12 months, I did not actually know precisely what I needed. I wasn’t certain if I needed to proceed on the highway. So I actually needed to maintain my choices open, which was my purpose to use for the Life Time Grand Prix, however for now that is going to be the enjoyable facet of biking.”
Stephens shall be a part of the Cynisca Biking group at Tour de Normandie Féminin this week, March 14-17. It’s important as a result of the opening stage has a 10km hilly time trial, simply what the Texan needs, particularly for the reason that US Professional Street Nationwide Championships moved from June to Might this 12 months.
“Positively having Nationals moved as much as Might, it’s simply gonna open me as much as make some clearer selections, faster. I feel the timing is definitely good. I’ll be heading again to the US after Normandie and my subsequent highway race would be the [Tour of the] Gila,” she informed Cyclingnews.
“I’ll be heading to altitude to prepare for Gila, after which I’ll keep at altitude for 3 weeks to get a very good prep for Nationals. I really feel like I actually reply effectively to coaching at altitude.”
Stephens has not raced the Tour of the Gila in seven years, final ending second total in 2017. It has a time trial, so it’s in her candy spot. She has twice received the GC on the Joe Martin Stage Race, which together with Gila are the one two UCI stage races within the US this season, however the Arkansas stage race is per week after Nationals so was not on the radar simply but.
After two seasons on the WorldTour stage with EF Schooling-Tibco-SVB, Stephens moved again to a US-based Continental group for 2024, Cynisca Biking. She referred to as the transfer simply an adjustment to “not having a assured schedule”.
There was additionally an surprising schedule change when simply days after her victory at Clasica de Almeria the squad made headlines once more, however for the flawed causes, which in flip took away a 19km ITT effort from Stephens.
Cynisca Biking not too long ago accepted a one-race suspension for violating UCI guidelines in 2023 – a time when Stephens was not a part of the squad – after a contract sports activities director who now not works with the group had a mechanic pose as a rider and signal a begin sheet for a race. Vuelta Extremadura Féminas was the race taken off the group’s calendar as disciplinary motion – no stage race and no ITT.
Nonetheless within the simply two race begins to this point this season Stephens already has a win. The Texan stands out for her means to learn a race and adapt to altering conditions, which regularly sees her make the most of climbs or splits within the discipline. Hardly ever do you see Stephens in a dash however that’s what she did for her first victory of the season.
“That is my first win that I can keep in mind in a very long time that wasn’t a solo,” she stated of her February win at Clasica de Almeria, which she took in a two-way dash towards Yuliia Biriukova (Human Powered Well being).
“So what I take pleasure in most is like simply breaking down a course and tactically, determining what’s greatest for the group. What I really like about racing is considering all of the alternative ways and items that it takes to win – it is not only one second that defines a win, there’s numerous items.”
That strategic considering has led her to a different resolution, what to do as soon as she stops pinning on a quantity. She’s the one rider in her 30s on the Cynisca group, which she welcomes because it put her into a task as a pacesetter and mentor.
“I got here to this group to have a mentor function. I’ve ambition to turn out to be a DS [directeur sportif or sports director],” Stephens stated. “I took the DS course two years in the past, planning to try this quite a bit faster than I’ve, and I see this as a possibility the place I can nonetheless race my bike however then I can be in that mentor facet of issues and assist the women from the within of the peloton.”
