In the women’s pro 1/2 field, Anna Sanders (Visit Dallas Cycling) is hanging onto her lead with a gap of 12 seconds to Erica Allar (Team Colavita), who moved up from fifth to second Saturday by winning the road race.

“Today’s race was hard because of the high winds,” Allar said. “Being the only Colavita racer here meant I had to race smart. I had to cover riders who were a threat to an overall GC spot but understand the wind played a huge factor in whether or not riders or groups got away. A couple of individuals went for big efforts but it came back together for a sprint. The cards played were in my favor and I was able to to capitalize on them.”

Allar, a Tucson resident, said she was thrilled to win in her hometown and at a race where her boyfriend Jame Carney’s non-profit, Care 4 Cycling, is the title sponsor of the pro women’s event.

Sanders said she’s looking forward to the circuit race and to hang on to her lead for an overall win.

“My teammate Mia worked her butt off today to keep me in yellow,” Sanders said. “She was incredible out there and made it a great day for Visit Dallas Cycling. Tomorrow’s course has quite a bit of elevation gain over the seven laps we will do. I think it suits us, and we are ready to battle.”

Sunday’s circuit race involves time bonuses of 3, 2 and 1 seconds for first, second and third places at the end of lap 3. Time bonuses for finishes are 10, 6, and 4 seconds for first, second and third places. Many riders will be battling it out in these close competitions:

• Men Pro 1/2: Matteo Dal-Cin (Silber Pro Cycling) has a 17-second lead over Robert Squire. Both moved up Saturday from eighth and 12th place, respectively.
• Men’s Cat 2: Eric Oien (Southern California Velo) is ahead by two seconds against Ben Duncan (El Grupo Youth Cycling Club).
• Men’s Cat 3: Two El Grupo riders are battling it out for first and second – Max Cronyn is only two seconds behind teammate Keenan Duncan.
• Men Cat 4: Taylor Squillaci (Scalo Veloce) and Kyle VanRenterghem (TriSports Cycling/Eclipse Racing) are tied for first with Bill Karras (Two Wheel Jones) only six seconds back.
• Women’s 3: Gretchen Stumhofer (SPY GIANT RIDE p/b GQ-6) holds a 17-second lead over Erica Clevenger (UA Cycling).
• Women’s 4: It will be a battle of the Ha(y)leys with a five-second gap between Hayley Lytle (Velo Club LaGrange) and Haley Payne (Velo Vegas/Every Kid a Bike).
• Masters Women 55+: Sue Lloyd (Rocky Mountain Road Club) and Christina Maddox (C.A.R.E. 4 Cycling) are 15 seconds apart.
• Masters Women 35+: Margaret Douglass (Team Endurance 360) is ahead of Aileen El Kadi (EP Cyclists) by only five seconds.
• Masters Men 35+: Fortunato Ferrara (RA Racing Apparel/Trek Racing) has only one second on Manuel Serrano.

Find out more about the circuit race at www.tucsonbicycleclassic.com.