Women's racing
Women's racing at Berkeley.
Women race both days of the Berkeley Omnium: a long and a short road race over the Three Bears on Saturday, and three criteriums downtown on Sunday. In 2026 the Pro/1/2 purse was split 50/50 with the men.
On the start line, in the race and on the mic.
The women's field lining up for the 2025 Berkeley Hills Road Race, racing through a corner at the 2026 Berkeley Streets Criterium, the crowd at the barriers and a finish-line interview there.
The fields
Where women race, both days.
The women's and girls' fields as they ran in 2026. Fields for the next Omnium (April 17–18, 2027) are confirmed when the race information is published.
SaturdayBerkeley Hills Road Race
- Women's Long Race71 miles · staging 8:00 a.m.
- Women's Short Race33 miles · staging 8:30 a.m.
- Juniors 15-16 and 17-18 (girls)33 miles · staging 8:30 a.m.
- Juniors 10 and under, 11-12 and 13-14 (girls)16 miles · staging 8:30 a.m.
SundayBerkeley Streets Criterium
- Women's 4/Novice and Women's Collegiate 4/Novice30 minutes · 8:05 a.m.
- Women's 3, Collegiate B, Masters 40+/50+/60+40 minutes · 1:10 p.m.
- Women's Pro/1/2/3 and Collegiate Pro/1/2/360 minutes · 4:00 p.m.
Who you'll race
Saturday: the road race runs a women's short and long race. Racers of any category choose the short or long race (same course, different distance), race together as one field, and are placed both within their category and overall.
Sunday: the crit runs the women's races as listed above, each with its own start and field limit: Women's 4/Novice and Women's Collegiate 4/Novice (limit 75); Women's 3, Collegiate B, Masters 40+/50+/60+ (limit 75); Women's Pro/1/2/3 and Collegiate Pro/1/2/3 (limit 100).
Field sizes in 2026: 22 riders in the Women's 4/Novice crit and 42 in the combined Women's Short Race, from the official results.
New to categories? Cycling categories explained.
Prize money
Same purse as the men.
In 2026 the $10,000 Pro/1/2 cash purse was split 50/50 between the women's and men's races, so both paid the same five places. All other prizes are merchandise from event sponsors.
- 1st$1,900
- 2nd$1,300
- 3rd$900
- 4th$550
- 5th$350
What we're working on
- Equal P/1/2 prize purse, split 50/50 with the men's field
- Reduced entry barriers for new racers (in progress)
- First-time racer incentives (in progress)
- A bring-a-friend program (in progress)
In 2025, KaiVelo sponsored an entry discount for women racing the Berkeley Omnium. About KaiVelo
Rider story
From BBC group rides to the pro peloton.
Bethany Allen got dropped on plenty of 5:30 AM rides from Domingo Peet’s and 100-mile Saturdays before she won the women’s Pro/1/2 at the 2015 Berkeley Hills Road Race.
The next year she turned pro with Inpa Bianchi in Italy. She wrote about how she got there, and what she’d tell the next generation of racers.
Raced Berkeley
Olympians, national champions and pros on the same start line.
Kristen Faulkner
2019 · Women's Pro/1/2
Two years into racing when she lined up here. Turned pro in 2020, won Olympic gold in the road race and team pursuit at Paris 2024, and the U.S. road race title in 2024 and 2025.
Ruth Winder
2013 · Women's Cat 1/2
Now Ruth Edwards. Turned pro in 2014, rode the 2016 and 2020 Olympics for the United States and won the 2019 U.S. road race title.
Flávia Oliveira
2013 · Women's Cat 1/2
Already racing for European teams. Three years later she rode the Rio Olympics for Brazil and finished 7th in the road race, and in 2015 won the mountains classification at the Giro d'Italia Femminile.
Megan Guarnier
2016 · Men's P/1/2
Raced the men's field in May 2016, listed for her pro team. That season she won the Women's World Tour overall and rode the Olympic road race for the United States.
Melanie Wong
2014 · Women's P/1/2; 2016 · Women's P/1/2; 2019 · Women's Pro/1/2; 2023 · Women's Pro/1/2/3 (long race)
A Berkeley regular across nearly a decade: racing here from 2014, and by 2019 in the Pro category for Sho-Air TWENTY20. Still racing here in 2023.
Christine Thorburn
2003 · Women's Pro/1/2
On the U.S. world championships team from 2003, the year she won here. 2004 U.S. time trial champion, bronze in the 2006 world time trial, and 4th and 5th in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic time trials. Raced for Webcor Builders, professional in 2008.
Katheryn Curi
2004 · Women's Pro/1/2; 2005 · Women's Pro/1/2
A pro from 1999, and the 2005 U.S. road race champion, the same year she raced here for the second time.
Nicole Freedman
1996 · Pro/1/2, before there was a women's race; 2001 · Women's Pro/1/2
Won the top race here in 1996, before there was a women's race, and turned pro in 1997. Won the 2000 Olympic trials, rode the Sydney Olympics, and won the women's race here in 2001.
Olivia Dillon
2010 · Women's Pro/1/2
Irish national road race champion in 2010, the same year she raced here. Raced for Twenty12 and Colavita–Fine Cooking.
Illi Gardner
2017 · Women's Pro/1/2
Turned pro in 2020. European and British hill climb champion.
Hanna Muegge
2019 · Women's Pro/1/2
Riding since 2014, and racing for DNA Pro Cycling Team from 2017 while working full time. In 2019, the year she won here, she also started gravel racing.
Recent winners
The women's race at the Berkeley Hills.
Every winner since 1999 →The earliest women's winner on record is from 1999. In 1996, before women had a race of their own here, Nicole Freedman won the top race. Read her story. In 2016 Megan Guarnier raced the men's field in the season she won the Giro Rosa. Read hers
Full results by field, 2026: road race · criterium (OnTheDay)
- 2026, 2025Rachel UrbanCoalition Cycling
- 2024Sarah FlammTerun Cycling
- 2023Niky TaylorAlto Velo Racing Club
- 2022Nicole SteinmetzVelo Club La Grange
- 2019Hanna MueggeDNA Pro Cycling Team
- 2018Amy CameronTeam Mike's Bikes p/b Equator Coffees
- 2017Illi GardnerFolsom Bike/Trek
New to racing
Your first Berkeley start line.
Most new racers start with the Women's Short Race on Saturday (33 miles in 2026) and the 30-minute Women's 4/Novice crit early Sunday. You need a USA Cycling license; a one-day license works. How to get your license, including how a friend with a USA Cycling membership may be able to give you a free one-day license code.
Girls race in their own junior fields at the road race. Junior racing covers how Northern California juniors get started.
Women's teams and clinics
- Super Sprinkles Racing →SF nonprofit team for women, trans, femme and other new riders
- Monarch Racing →Women's Domestic Elite team and junior girls' program, presented by KaiVelo
- Early Birds clinics →Winter sessions where mentors work with riders of all levels, including new racers
Women's racing
Questions about women's racing at Berkeley.
Is there women's racing at the Berkeley Omnium?
Yes. Women race both days. In 2026 the Berkeley Hills Road Race had a 71-mile Women's Long Race and a 33-mile Women's Short Race, and the Berkeley Streets Criterium had three women's races, from Women's 4/Novice to Women's Pro/1/2/3.
Is the prize money equal for women at the Berkeley Omnium?
Yes, in 2026. The $10,000 Pro/1/2 cash purse was split 50/50 between the women's and men's races, so both paid the same, starting at $1,900 for 1st. All other prizes are merchandise from event sponsors.
Where should a woman new to racing start at the Berkeley Omnium?
Most new racers start with the Women's Short Race on Saturday (33 miles in 2026) and the 30-minute Women's 4/Novice criterium on Sunday morning. You need a USA Cycling license; one-day licenses are available.
How to start bike racing in Northern California →Are there girls' junior fields at the Berkeley Hills Road Race?
Yes. Girls race in their own junior fields: 33 miles for 15-16 and 17-18, and 16 miles for 10 and under, 11-12 and 13-14.
Junior cycling in Northern California →Who has won the women's Berkeley Hills Road Race?
Recent winners include Rachel Urban (2026 and 2025), Sarah Flamm (2024), Niky Taylor (2023), Nicole Steinmetz (2022). Earlier winners include Olympians Christine Thorburn (2003) and Susy Pryde (1999), and Bethany Allen (2015), who turned pro in Italy the next year.
Every women's winner since 1999 →How long is the Women's Pro/1/2/3 criterium?
60 minutes, starting at 4:00 p.m. in 2026, on the downtown Berkeley course by Ohlone Park.
Berkeley Streets Criterium →