Elizabeth Dixon clenched victory on the final Gila Monster Road Race to wrap a tough, five days of racing in Silver City. The FOUNT Cycling Guild rider finished over a minute ahead of the Tour of the Gila 2024 overall leader, Lauren Stephens of Cynisca Cycling. Dixon’s teammate, Eleanor Wiseman finished third to wrap the podium.

Having not only hung onto the New Mexico True leader jersey, Stephens used the fifth stage to increase the margin of her win as well. “This feels really incredible to do so well in this race. My first time here was in 2012, and it’s a race that makes you decide if you really want to bike race or not. I kept at it, and here I am many, many years later, winning the race.”

With plans to race in the 2024 Olympics this summer, Stephens affirmed that Tour of the Gila provided training that will be essential to her performance in Paris.

Going into Sunday’s UCI Women’s Stage 5 Gila Monster Road Race, excitement was understandably at an all-time high. Not only would this stage determine final rankings for the pro women overall at the 2024 Tour of the Gila, but it’s also an incredibly advanced course that even the strongest riders face with some trepidation.

With a background in ballet, FOUNT’s Dixon had warmed up for the stage with a few pirouettes in the Town of Silver City administration building parking lot—her teammates the audience. FOUNT Cycling Guild’s Alia Shafi came in fourth place on the stage, and taking three of the top four spots on one of the nation’s most difficult road race courses is a testament to the program, which provides support to talented athletes working their way up in the sport.

Jennifer Wheeler and David Richter, who are the owners and founders of FOUNT Cycling Guild, said, “There’s no way to prove yourself unless somebody’s willing to invest in you before you get the big results.”

A result on the Gila Monster Road Race is huge. The 65.9-mile course started in Gough Park in downtown Silver City, followed US 180 and NM 152 through the Mimbres, then took NM 35 to the intersection with NM 15 before turning up the climb from Sapillo Creek towards Pinos Altos for the finish. Only the first 20 miles of the course includes wide roads with paved shoulders; the remainder of the stage consists of narrow, curved roads, two incredibly technical, high-speed descents, and three climbs that totaled 5,487 vertical feet ascended.