The Colorado Classic bike race, a four-day racing event, aiming to be the premier U.S. pro racing event, looped through Golden on Saturday, Aug 24, for the third of those stages, featuring a variety of iconic scenes, but a quite singular winner.

Chloe Dygert-Owen continued her domination of the competition, winning her third straight stage.

"Today was the biggest crowd and it means a lot," she said during the post-race press conference. "Golden is an awesome town. Tons of cheering kept us going. The fans bring this racing to life."  

Dygert-Owen waited until just before the final lap to make her attack. She held off the entire field of opposing racers to cross the line first, handily maintain the yellow Gates Corporation General Classification Jersey as race leader as well as FirstBank Sprint Leader, Colorado Tourism Office Queen of the Mountain and VF Corporation Best Young Rider.

“It was an on-the-fly decision,” Dygert said of her move. “I had that gap and I looked back and saw some heads hanging. Again I said, ‘OK, let’s keep this going for as long as I can.’ I knew either way we were going to have a solid day.”

Dygert completed the 63.7-mile Stage 3 circuit course in 2 hours, 27 minutes and 45 seconds as her Sho-Air Twenty20 teammate, and last year's stage 3 winner, Jennifer Valente of Colorado Springs was second across the finish line, 5 seconds back.

“Nobody should give Chloe an inch, because she will keep going,” Valente joked after the race.

The stage 3 race route featured a start and finish underneath Golden's iconic welcome arch on Washington Avenue, with the rest of the race course taking cyclists past iconic Golden landmarks such as the buffalo statue outside of the Buffalo Rose, Foothills Art Center, Coors Brewery, Colorado Railroad Museum and, of course, views of the Table Mountains and Clear Creek.

Dygert-Owen would go on to win the next day's stage in Denver as well, to completely sweep all four stages of the 2019 race. She finished two minutes and 37 seconds ahead of the next fastest racer, Brodie Chapman from Austrailia.