A familiar name on the Pacific Northwest calendar, the Tour de Bloom entered new territory in 2025 as it joined the UCI international calendar for the first time. This year’s edition, held from 2nd to 6th May around Wenatchee, Washington, marked a major step forward for women’s racing in North America, earning its 2.2 classification and becoming one of just two UCI stage races for women on the continent this season.
The five-day event featured a varied parcours designed to test every skillset, from the high-speed technical corners of the Twilight Downtown Criterium to the leg-sapping gradients of the Mission Ridge queen stage. With over 8500 feet of elevation gain on the final day alone, the GC battle would ultimately come down to pure climbing strength. While new to the UCI calendar, Tour de Bloom attracted a diverse field of domestic and international riders. Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24 headlined the start list alongside Sahand Pump Crown Tabriz from Iran, with strong showings from teams like Fount Cycling Guild, Monarch Racing, and Aegis Cycling Mixed Team, the latter boasting several familiar names to European followers.
Stage 1 – Stephens strikes early in Waterville
The race opened under bright skies on a 60-mile route through Washington’s wheat fields. It was a tightly controlled affair, with Fount Cycling Guild and Valkyr setting a steady pace. Jennifer Wheeler of Fount took both QOM points to establish her early claim to the polka dot jersey.
As the peloton approached the lone intermediate sprint, Marlies Mejias of Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28 secured the maximum bonus seconds, ahead of Arielle Martin-Verhaaren of Automatic Racing and Lucie Kimberly of S&M CX Mixed Team. Despite a brief attack from Minori Minagawa of Fount and Florence Howden of United Cycling, the race came back together for a fast finish.
Lauren Stephens of Aegis Cycling timed her sprint to perfection, surging past Alia Shafi of Fount and Mejias to take the first leader’s jersey and the early advantage in both GC and the points classification.
2025 Tour de Bloom Stage 1 result
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Stage 2 – Shafi wins under the lights in Wenatchee
The Twilight Criterium in downtown Wenatchee was a fast and aggressive affair held in front of big crowds. With the sun setting and lights illuminating the 1km circuit, teams fought for position through three intermediate sprints. Mejias took all three, picking up nine bonus seconds to strengthen her GC position, while Stephens collected eight across two sprints.
A chaotic final ten laps saw late attacks and mechanicals, with Elizabeth Dixon briefly going clear. But in the final dash to the line, it was Alia Shafi who launched a perfectly timed sprint to secure her first UCI win. Mejias and Stephens again rounded out the podium.
Photo Credit: Blake Dahlin - Tour de Bloom2025 Tour de Bloom Stage 2 result
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Stage 3 – Stephens climbs back into pink
The queen stage around Lake Wenatchee saw the GC contenders rise to the top. Cool temperatures and strong headwinds created a tense atmosphere early on. Fount Cycling and Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28 traded turns at the front, with riders like Emily Ehrlich, Shafi, and Wheeler instrumental in pacing efforts.
Mejias and teammate Rylee McMullen picked up intermediate sprint bonuses before the field hit the final 1km climb to the finish. Stephens launched her decisive move on the steep slopes, dropping everyone except Shafi, who tried to hold the wheel but couldn’t respond to Stephens’ final kick. Stephens took her second win of the race and reclaimed the overall lead heading into the time trial.
Photo Credit: Blake Dahlin - Tour de Bloom2025 Tour de Bloom Stage 3 result
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Stage 4 – Ehrlich storms to TT win
The penultimate stage was a flat 30km individual time trial through the orchards and canyons of Palisades. Jennifer Wheeler set an early benchmark of 41:19, which held until Emily Ehrlich of Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28 delivered a blistering 39:09 – the only sub-40-minute ride of the day.
Lauren Stephens was second in 40:22, enough to keep her within reach of GC, but not enough to stop Ehrlich from taking over the pink jersey. Mejias placed third on the day, while Wheeler’s ride was enough to keep her in QOM contention. Ehrlich moved from ninth overall to the race lead in one ride, giving TWENTY28 a late advantage heading into the summit finish.
Photo Credit: Blake Dahlin - Tour de Bloom2025 Tour de Bloom Stage 4 result
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Stage 5 – Stephens seals it on the slopes of Mission Ridge
The final day delivered a brutal finale: three laps of a punchy circuit followed by a long, steep 6.6-mile climb to the Mission Ridge ski resort. With gradients touching 12%, it was a fitting battleground for the GC contenders.
Lauren Stephens made her move on the final ascent, using her climbing prowess to drop everyone and take a solo win – her third of the race. Behind, Alia Shafi finished strong to take second on GC, just three seconds ahead of Paula Gil Echevarria of Valkyr. Ehrlich, after her dominant time trial, slipped out of contention on the climb.
Photo Credit: Blake Dahlin - Tour de Bloom2025 Tour de Bloom Stage 5 result
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2025 Tour de Bloom GC result
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Main photo credit: Blake Dahlin – Tour de Bloom
