Ruth Edwards delivered a commanding performance to capture her first continental title, winning the time trial at the Pan American Championships in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Racing for Team USA, she tore through the 26.2-kilometer course in 34 minutes and 44 seconds, averaging 45.259 km/h.
“I am really excited to get this win,” said Edwards. “I was looking forward to this trip, coming to Uruguay. It’s a cool country, it’s beautiful. And my first road Pan Am Championships. It was a big goal at the beginning of the season, so I was excited to come and race.”
She edged out fellow American Emily Ehrlich by 10 seconds, while Teniel Campbell of Trinidad & Tobago rounded out the podium, finishing 44 seconds back. The course profile was simple, but not easy. Running along Punta del Este’s glimmering South Atlantic coastline, the straight, flat route left riders fully exposed to coastal winds, turning the course into a test of focus and grit, helped by the aerodynamic superiority of the Factor HANZŌ.
“The HANZŌ gets a lot of compliments. It’s a super beautiful, fast bike,” said Edwards. “I was riding a Black Inc tri-spoke front wheel and a disc in the rear. Super fast bike. I have been really into time trials since I got it!”
The victory marks a milestone in Edwards’ return to form after an AC joint separation suffered at Strade Bianche on March 15. After testing her legs on the cobbles of Belgium earlier this month at Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders, Uruguay presented her first major solo effort—and her first time ever representing Team USA at the Championships.
“Although my prep wasn’t ideal, I didn’t race as much as I had planned because of my shoulder injury,” said Edwards. “You do a lot of training through from December until now. So you have to trust that you have the ability and adjust the plan accordingly.”
Held every spring, the Pan American Championships are a major fixture for athletes across the Western Hemisphere and a springboard to Olympic dreams. For cyclists, a gold medal in the time trial brings more than just hardware: it earns them the right to race in a sleek all-white Pan Am champion’s kit in their discipline for the next year. The Human Powered Health design team is already crafting a custom edition worthy of the moment.
“The title is really cool. The community and the racing and the competitors here are passionate about cycling and wanting to win,” said Edwards. “Being Pan American champion means a unique jersey and really special and it gets you a spot at the World Championships which is part of my TT goals for the year.”
This win builds on Edwards’ remarkable resurgence since returning to the WorldTour with Human Powered Health in 2024. Her palmarès already includes a general classification win at the Thüringen Ladies Tour and podiums at the Giro d’Italia Donne. Now healthy and in peak condition, she turns her attention to her next big target.
