TEAm Lipton's Kristin Armstong takes Nature Valley GP!

TEAm Lipton does their duties and takes TEAm overall. Kristin takes stage 5 and the GC.

When the women hit the first circuit, Kristin Armstrong relieved her team of its duties and took over the race, churning up Mainstreet Hill. A cruel climb with three steep ramps, the last being 300 meters long, at a 14 percent grade.

At the top, Armstrong already gapped the field by 20 seconds. Three laps later she'd put nearly a minute on second-place Catherine Cheatley (Cheerwine) and third-place Shelley Olds (PROMAN). It was a clear statement: The race leader after Friday's time trial is the most powerful cyclist in the domestic women's field by an order of magnitude.

"It was pretty subdued," said Olds about the 77-mile approach. "But when we got to this hill, it was all Kristin. You could only sit there and watch."

Armstrong sealed her win on this stage of last year as well.

"It always hurts, you just dig as deep as you can," she said.

Nature Valley Grand Prix - NE

Minnesota, USA, June 20-24, 2007

Pro women:

1. Kristin Armstrong (USA) TEAm Lipton 3.52.13 (28.275 km/h)
2. Rachel Heal (GBr) Webcor Builders 0.39
3. Felicia Gomez (Can) Aaron's Pro Cycling Team
4. Alex Wrubleski (Can) Colavita-Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light
5. Kristin Sanders (USA) Aaron's Pro Cycling Team
6. Mara Abbott (USA) Webcor Builders
7. Kori Seehafer (USA) TEAm Lipton 1.01
8. Lauren Franges (USA) TEAm Lipton