The 97 women competing in the Amgen Breakaway from Heart Disease™ Women’s Race Empowered with SRAM also spent the day in Santa Rosa contesting a 64-mile twisting course that concluded with three lightening-fast circuits downtown that were lined with fans.

Stage 3 (of four), saw lots of early attacks that were foiled before a break could get away. Not until the second Queen of the Mountain (QOM) climb of the day on Coleman Valley Road did Wiggle High5’s Mara Abbott (Boulder, Colo.) and Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team’s Evelyn Stevens (Claremont, Calif.) get clear from the peloton. Abbott, the first U.S. cyclist to win the Giro Donne (2010), one of the women’s Grand Tours, quickly took a solo lead, with Stevens, the new women’s hour record holder, falling back into a chase group of seven that also included her teammate and race leader Megan Guarnier (Glens Falls, New York); four-time National Time Trial Champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong (Memphis, Tenn.) of TWENTY16 – Ridebiker; Katie Hall (Oakland, Calif.) of UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team; UCI’s number-one-ranked rider Emma Johansson (SWE) of Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling; Alena Amialiusik (BLR) of Canyon/SRAM Racing and Eri Yonamine (JPN) of Hagens Berman | Supermint Pro Cycling Team. The group caught Abbott with about 20 miles left to ride, and the former National Champion fell back to the main bunch, but not before shoring up the Lexus Queen of the Mountain (QOM) and Breakaway from Cancer^® Most Courageous Rider jerseys.

“Mara attacked on the second climb… There was a small group that let Boels-Dolmans chase, so it was on me and Evie [Evelyn Stevens] to bring that back. I’m a little bit surprised it came back because it was a pretty good breakaway,” said Guarnier, the Boels-Dolmans race leader and National Champion.

The rest of the chase group soon was reabsorbed as well, with a main group of 25 barreling together together toward the downtown circuits in the hunt for a sprint finish. Attacks came hard and aplenty on the circuits, with UnitedHealthcare’s Linda Villumsen (NZL) riding up front and shutting them down. Bay area cyclist Ruth Winder for USA Cycling and 19 year-old Chloe Dygert (Bremerton, Wash.) of TWENTY16 – Ridebiker took short-lived leads, much to the excitement of the roaring crowds.

Coming into the final turn, TWENTY16 – Ridebiker and UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling took over at the front to lead out their sprinters, but experience trumped all else today with cycling’s winningest woman of all time, Rabo-Liv Women Cycling Team’s Marianne Vos (NED) rocketing out from the pack to take the win. She was followed over the line by UnitedHealthcare’s Coryn Rivera and Johansson of Wiggle High5. A star of the junior circuit, Rivera has won 70 national titles, including her first elite level title as 2014 National Criterium Champion.

Reigning U.S. National Road Race Champion and current race leader Megan Guarnier, increased her lead with bonus points earned at the one Sprint point at Carmet Beach today, also earning her the Visit California Sprint Jersey. The SRAM Best Young Rider Jersey remains with 19 year-oldChloe Dygert (Bremerton, Wash.).

Vos’ win today puts her into the top-5 in the overall standings with one day left to ride.  Guarnier held onto the Amgen Race Leader Jersey and gained three seconds on Armstrong (TWENTY16 – Ridebiker) (+:15”), with Stevens remaining in third place (+:25”), and Voss moving up from seventh to fourth (+:43”), just besting Rivera at (+:44”).

The four-stage, 197.8-mile road race, the first of only two U.S. events on the first-ever UCI Women’s WorldTour, will conclude tomorrow, along with the men’s event, with a 41-mile circuit race (20 laps) around Capitol Park in Sacramento.

Stage 3 Podium

1. Marianne Vos (NED), Rabo-Liv Women Cycling Team (NED)
2. Coryn Rivera (USA), UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team (USA)
3. Emma Johansson (SWE), Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling (GBR)

Stage 3 Jersey Winners

• Amgen Leader Jersey – Megan Guarnier (USA), Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team (NED)
• Lexus Queen of the Mountain (QOM) Jersey – Mara Abbott (USA), Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling (GBR)
• Visit California Sprint Jersey – Megan Guarnier (USA), Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team (NED); Note, Marianne Vos (NED), Rabo-Liv Women Cycling Team (NED) will be wearing the QOM jersey during Stage 4
• SRAM Best Young Rider Jersey – Chloe Dygert (USA), TWENTY16 – Ridebiker (USA)
• Breakaway from Cancer^®  Most Courageous Rider Jersey – Mara Abbott (USA), Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling (GBR); Note, previous winner Sarah Storey (GBR), Podium Ambition Pro Cycling p/b Club La Santa (GBR), will be wearing the blue jersey during Stage 4

Celebrating its 11^th year, the Amgen Tour of California is the most esteemed stage race in the U.S. Amgen has been the title sponsor of the race since its first year.

As part of Amgen’s effort to honor and celebrate cancer survivors and to raise awareness of its Breakaway from Cancer^® initiative, a Breakaway Mile walk took place today as part of Santa Rosa’s annual Luther Burbank Rose Parade. Led by one of America’s most recognized journalists, cancer survivor and advocate Joan Lunden served as Grand Marshal of the parade and was joined by 200 community members at the front of the parade to honor the millions of cancer survivors millions worldwide.

During Lunden’s battle with cancer she committed herself to being an advocate for those battling cancer. Through her work, she inspired others to protect their own health. Lunden opened up to the public about her personal journey with the hopes that she could offer support and inspiration and provide a better understanding of the cancer treatment process.

“What an honor to be part of Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer and the Luther Burbank Rose Parade to help bring awareness to the resources available to those impacted by cancer,” said Lunden. “It was exhilarating to lead the parade and honor and celebrate cancer survivors and their families. The excitement in downtown Santa Rosa was remarkable!”

For more information about Breakaway from Cancer, visit breakawayfromcancer.com.

Amgen created Breakaway from Heart Disease™ as a complementary component to the Amgen Tour of California. The collective goal of the campaign is to fundamentally change the future of America’s heart health by helping people to find out more about their family’s history of heart disease and encouraging them to get active through cycling. For more information, visit breakawayfromheartdisease.com

RACE CONCLUSION TOMORROW: MEN’S STAGE 8 & WOMEN’S STAGE 4, PRESENTED BY LEXUS

Sat., May 20 – Santa Rosa
Both events start and finish at 1131 11th St. Sacramento, CA

Women’s Race
Start Time: 11:40 a.m. PDT
Estimated Finish Time: 1:24 p.m. PDT

Men’s Race
Start Time: 11:15 a.m. PDT
Estimated Finish Time: 2:40 p.m. PDT

Race fans can catch the May 22 conclusion live on NBC, follow along on the Microsoft Tour Tracker App for mobile and desktop, and connect with the race through all of their favorite social media platforms. Links are available at the Social drop-down menu at www.amgentourofcalifornia.com and fans can use #AMERICASGREATESTRACE to join the conversation.

About the Amgen Tour of California and the Amgen Breakaway from Heart Disease Women’s Race Empowered with SRAM
The Amgen Tour of California and Amgen Breakaway from Heart Disease Women’s Race Empowered with SRAM are Tour de France-style cycling road races created and presented by AEG that challenge the world’s top professional cycling teams to compete along demanding courses that traverse hundreds of miles of California’s iconic highways, byways and coastlines each spring. The teams chosen to participate have included Olympic medalists, Tour de France contenders and World Champions. More information is available at amgentourofcalifornia.com.

The Amgen Tour of California is listed on the international professional cycling calendar (2 HC, meaning “beyond category”), awarding important, world-ranking points to the top finishers. This year, the course will cover 782 miles over eight days through 12 host cities, including San Diego (first-time host), South Pasadena (first-time host), Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks, Santa Barbara County, Morro Bay (first-time host), Monterey County, Lodi, South Lake Tahoe (first-time host), Folsom, Santa Rosa and Sacramento.

The Amgen Breakaway from Heart Disease Women’s Race Empowered with SRAM will run for the latter half of the men’s race (May 19-22) as the U.S. debut event on the inaugural UCI Women’s WorldTour (WWT).

About Amgen
Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology.

Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people’s lives. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world’s leading independent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential.

For more information, visit http://www.amgen.com and follow us on www.twitter.com/amgen.

About AEG
Founder and operators of the Amgen Tour of California and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, AEG is the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company. With offices on five continents, AEG operates in the following business segments: AEG Facilities, which owns, manages or consults with more than 120 preeminent arenas, stadiums, theaters, clubs and convention centers around the world including The O2 Arena, the Sprint Center and the Mercedes-Benz Arenas; AEG Live, which is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performances, including producing and promoting global and regional concert tours, music and special events and world-renowned festivals; AEG Real Estate, which develops world-class venues, as well as major sports and entertainment districts like STAPLES Center and L.A. LIVE; AEG Sports, which is the world’s largest operator of sports franchises and high-profile sporting events;  and AEG Global Partnerships, which oversees worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships including naming rights, premium seating and other strategic partnerships. Through its worldwide network of venues, portfolio of powerful sports and music brands, AXS.com ticketing platform, AXS cable television channel and its integrated entertainment districts, AEG entertains more than 100 million guests annually. More information about AEG can be found at www.aegworldwide.com.