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(MONTEREY, CA – Velo) Sofia Gomez Villafañe started her Life Time Grand Prix title defense with a huge final kick to win the Sea Otter Classic on Thursday.
The women’s race was a cagey affair with a large group swelling and dwindling in cycles throughout the day. On the final lap, Villafañe finally made the difference in the last moments of the race.
“I have been climbing pretty decent and I could push the pace hard enough to make people breathe harder than I was,” Gomez Villafañe said. “With the new course I knew I had to save it for the last kick but, yeah, Lauren [Stephens] was so strong coming off of the Redlands win.”
Lauren Stephens was second just a few seconds behind Villafañe after a late bobble on the final descent. Ultimately, the biggest surprise of the day was Nele Johanna Laing from the Canyon X DT Swiss All Terrain team. She started the season strong in Europe, but the podium finish in Monterey was a huge coming out party for the 27-year-old German.
Results: Women’s Sea Otter Classic
| Place | Name |
| 1 | Sofia Gomez Villafane |
| 2 | Lauren Stephens |
| 3 | Nele Johanna Laing |
| 4 | Karolina Migon |
| 5 | Kate Courtney |
| 6 | Hayley Preen |
| 7 | Rosa Klöser |
| 8 | Cecily Decker |
| 9 | Larissa Hartog |
| 10 | Samara Sheppard |
Full results here
[analyse_source url=”https://velo.outsideonline.com/gravel/gravel-racing/results-race-report-sea-otter-classic-womens-gravel-race-life-time-grand-prix-2026/”]