How tactical brilliance and raw power triumphed in America’s most grueling stage race
SILVER CITY, New Mexico (April 23-27, 2025) — The 38th Tour of the Gila unfolds across five challenging stages in southwestern New Mexico, where over 160 athletes in the UCI men’s and women’s races navigate a course that tests both physical ability and psychological perseverance.
Day 1: The Tyrone Individual Time Trial
The race begins with the Tyrone Individual Time Trial presented by Freeport McMoRan. Lauren Stephens (Aegis Cycling Foundation Mixed Team) claims the red New Mexico True leader jersey in the women’s competition, while Sidney Swierenga (TaG Cycling Race Team) dons the white Southwest Bone and Joint/Brian and Lynn Robinson Best Young Rider Jersey.
In the UCI men’s race, Eric Brunner of Competitive Edge Racing takes the top step and the red jersey, with Project Echelon Racing’s Jonas Walton earning the white jersey for best young rider.
Day 2: The Mogollon Road Race
The Mogollon Road Race continues the Tour’s tradition of shattering pelotons on its final uncategorized climb. Before turning onto the challenging ascent, the UCI women’s field rides as a cohesive group. Lauren Stephens reaches the cattleguard at the mountaintop first, claiming the QOM lead while adding to her overall lead in the general classification.
Her teammate Emma Langley finishes just six seconds back, while Best Young Rider Sidney Swierenga follows 23 seconds later. The first sprint points of the race are also awarded, with Ellexi Snover (Fount Cycling Guild), Kenna Pfeiffer (Aegis Cycling Mixed Team), and Yareli Acecedo Mendoza (Pato Bike) claiming the top three positions in the women’s sprint classification.
Perhaps in anticipation of the ascent to the ghost town of Mogollon, the UCI men’s field rode a steady pace in a compact peloton for the most part today. A couple ambitious souls attempted to get a head-start on the finishing climb. In those final miles, though, José Muniz Vasquez (Olinka-Specialized), Kieran Haug (Project Echelon Racing), and Robinson Fabian López Rivera (GW Erco Shimano) rose to the top. We saw a fresh face breaking into a smile and posting up when Muñiz Vazquez reached the finish line before his competition in the UCI men’s field.
Second place stage finisher Haug earned the red New Mexico True leader jersey, while his teammate Jonas Walton held onto the Southwest Bone and Joint Institute/Brian and Lynn Robinson Best Young Rider jersey. The polka dotted Freeport McMoRan climber jersey went to Vasquez, and the green Gila Regional Medical Center sprinter jersey went to Conn McDunphy.
Day 3: The Inner Loop Road Race
Stage three takes cyclists through the remote terrain of the Gila National Forest. Riders ascend to elevations of 7,200 feet, descend 1,000 feet over just three miles, pedal rolling hills near Lake Roberts and alongside the Mimbres River, before finishing with a climb to the Chino Mine and a sprint into the historic military fort of Ft. Bayard.
Lauren Stephens secures her third consecutive stage win in the women’s race, while Fausto Esparza Martinez (Olinka – Specialized) claims his first Tour of the Gila victory in the men’s field.
Both Stephens and Kieran Haug maintain their red New Mexico True leader jerseys, as Sidney Swierenga and Jonas Walton hold onto their best young rider classifications. Robinson Fabian Lopez Rivera (GW Erco Shimano) and Emma Langley (Aegis Cycling Mixed Team) wear the polka dotted Freeport McMoRan climber jerseys heading into stage four.
Day 4: The Downtown Criterium
Saturday’s Downtown Criterium presented by the Town of Silver City offers spectators their best opportunity to witness the race up close. Amateur races begin at 8 a.m., with the UCI women starting at 1:30 p.m. and the UCI men launching their 40 laps at 3:10 p.m. Brad Sohner’s commentating adds excitement as fans line the 1.08-mile course through Silver City’s historic district.
A photo finish ends Lauren Stephens’ winning streak as Competitive Edge rider Galen Bolard crosses the line first in the women’s race, with Fount Cycling Guild’s Minori Minagawa taking third.
In the men’s UCI race, Above and Beyond Cancer’s Patrick Welch rides solo off the front for most of the criterium, only to be caught in the final dozen laps by Project Echelon Racing and Specialized – Olinka. Eric Brunner wins the bunch sprint, beating Brandon Rojas Vega (GW Erco Shimano) and José Muñiz Vazquez (Olinka-Specialized). Brunner now trails Keiran Haug by just 12 seconds in the general classification.
Midday citizen fun races give everyone from three-year-olds up a chance to experience the thrill of competition, with registration available at The Hub Plaza between 9 a.m. and noon.
Day 5: The Gila Monster Road Race
The queen stage faces a last-minute adjustment due to a Red Flag Warning across southwest New Mexico. Race officials, organizers, and UCI men’s teams agree to shorten the men’s course by eliminating the portion leading to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument Visitor Center.
In the women’s race, Aegis Cycling Mixed Team demonstrates both strength and teamwork with a podium sweep. Lauren Stephens secures the overall victory, with Sidney Swierenga (TaG Cycling) earning a second-place finish (+2:23) and the Southwest Bone and Joint/Brian and Lynn Robinson Best Young Rider jersey.
The men’s race begins aggressively, with Robinson Fabian Lopez Rivera (GW Erco Shimano) ultimately crossing the mountain-top finish line first. Team Skyline’s Adam Lewis takes second place, while overall leader Kieran Haug cements his victory with a third-place finish.
The queen stage concludes in front of the Buckhorn Saloon and Opera House in the historic gold mining village of Pinos Altos. Though the course is shortened, it still takes competitors alongside the Mimbres River, through a region where meticulous potters established a community around A.D. 200. These Mimbres people are known for their famous black-on-white pottery, which inspired the handcrafted trophy bowls awarded to winners in each category—from amateur to UCI professional.
As the 38th Tour of the Gila comes to a close, Lauren Stephens (Aegis Cycling Mixed Team) stands atop the women’s podium with a 2:23 lead over Sidney Swierenga, while Kieran Haug (Project Echelon Racing) claims the men’s overall victory by a 12-second margin over Eric Brunner (Competitive Edge Racing).
For full results, see: https://tourofthegila.com/
