Rui Oliveira of Axeon Hagens Berman grabs his helmet after just being edged out by Lucas Sebastian Haedo of UnitedHealthcare (left) in the second stage of the 2017 Joe Martin Stage Race.
Photos by Todd Gill, Fayetteville Flyer
The 40th annual Joe Martin Stage Race is underway this weekend in Fayetteville, with hundreds of athletes and teams from 27 countries in town for the opening of the 2017 US Pro Road Tour.
Canadian Adam De Vos (Rally Cycling) won the stage 1 individual time trial in the pro men’s category at Devil’s Den State Park on Thursday, with British-born Ruth Winder (UnitedHealtcare) taking the pro women’s stage win.
Results courtesy of @joemartinstagerace
The stage 2 road races began late Friday morning with the men racing 110 miles and the women competing along a 64-mile course that each finished near the intersection of Church Avenue and Center Street in downtown Fayetteville.
Winder took the win again on Friday in the women’s race, with Argentinian Lucas Sebastian Haedo (UnitedHealthcare) pulling out the sprint finish to win the pro men second stage.
Amateur events begin Saturday morning, with more pro road racing in the afternoon. Sunday, of course, will be the most exciting day for spectators as amateurs and pros will compete in criterium races featuring multiple loops around downtown Fayetteville (see our map).
We took our camera to Artist Point Friday afternoon to catch the riders as they climbed through the hills about 30 miles south of Fayetteville on their way back into town along scenic U.S. 71. We made it back just in time for the final pro men’s finish.
Make sure to check out our guide for tips on how to watch the final two days of racing.
