The Colorado Classic has forged its own path. In a race calendar where women’s racing has often been seen as an afterthought, this four-day celebration of women’s cycling survived the cancellation of the men’s race last year, and thrived. In 2019, it attracted a quality field of almost 100 riders from 16 teams to tackle a mix of Colorado’s urban and mountain landscapes, from street circuits in state capital Denver to gravel roads in Steamboat Springs, cheered on by a supportive local community.

That’s one of the things that the 2019 Colorado Classic will be remembered for. The other is the winning rider – Chloe Dygert-Owen (Sho-Air TWENTY20)– who produced a stunning, dominant victory not just in the GC, but on each of the four stages as well.

Dygert-Owen is an ambitious 22 year old Olympian who’s been a multiple-time world champion on the track and has had a string of impressive showings in the US domestic scene; she’s also a two-time world champion on the road as a junior, taking the road race and ITT at Richmond in 2015. But her Colorado Classic win is arguably the most potent demonstration of her considerable capabilities, netting her a clean sweep of stage wins, along with a wardrobe of jerseys – for the general classification, the points classification, the youth classification and the climber’s classification.

Dygert-Owen has had both a glittering and injury-affected career. She’s a seven-time world champion on the track and road and an Olympic silver medallist, but a string of recent injuries – to the head, to the back, to the hip – have at times stymied her ambitions. Those issues have, evidently, resolved. So, what’s next for the young American? Or perhaps the better question – what isn’t?

Enjoy this gallery of a fantastic four days of racing, through the lenses of Jered and Ashley Gruber.