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BISBEE — Felicia Gomez, an exercise science and nutrition professor at Fresno State, made up a 56-second deficit to leader Mari Holden to win the 28th La Vuelta de Bisbee Sunday morning.
To make up the difference, Gomez knew she’d need to score big on the spring bonuses on the Tombstone Road Race. And score big she did, using the bonuses to subtract 20 seconds from Holden’s advantage on her way to winning the stage in a time of 3 hours, 7 minutes and 25 seconds.
Gomez noted her time as she crossed the line and immediately began counting the seconds.
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“I had no idea if I’d won,” Gomez said. “I timed it once I crossed the finish line… You just kind of watched the seconds tick by.”
Holden came in sixth in the stage and wound up finishing third in the overall 47 seconds back of Gomez. Second place when to Quebec’s Anne Samplonius, who finished six seconds behind Gomez in the stage and 10 back in the overall.
Holden, a 2000 world time trial champion had a rough go of it down the stretch Sunday.
“I was fine until the last climb,” Holden said. “I got into trouble, ran out of water. But it was a fun, great race, as usual.”
By the time the race climaxed into the climb up Mule Pass, Samplonius had become Gomez’s biggest threat.
“Coming to the end I was more concerned about Anne, she’s such a good climber,” Gomez said.
“Nobody really wanted to do anything,” Samplonius said of the pack’s mentality on the final stage. “Which is typical when it finishes on a hard climb. Then, Felicia took the sprint, but we were still all tight until we reached the base of the climb.”
This weekend was Gomez’s first visit to Bisbee, and she hopes not her last.
“My husband raced this last year and told me about it,” Gomez said. “I really like it, but the altitude is killing me. I love the course and it’s a very well-run race.”
Gomez said balancing a full-time teaching load and a professional cyclist’s schedule isn’t always easy.
“It’s something that I struggle with,” Gomez said. “It’s really tough to have a full-time career and race bikes. I definitely appreciate my summers.”
Sports Editor Matt Hickman can be reached at 515-4612, or by e-mail at sports@svherald.com.
