Kristin Armstrong is victorious in her final race in the United States

One more time.

Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong held off a pair of competitors in the final straightaway along 9th Street in Downtown Boise on Saturday and won her third Twilight Criterium in four years to put a cap on her stateside racing career.

The 35-year-old Boise resident, who will compete in September's world championships in Switzerland and plans to retire after this season, decided Friday evening to race.

"It was a special night," said Armstrong, who rides for Cervelo Test Team. "In fact, (Friday) night, when I had dinner downtown, I decided I just really wanted to race my last race in front of this fan base. É I just imagined myself watching, and I was like, 'I can't, I can't watch. Are you kidding me?' "

She placed 11th in the Giro Donne stage race in Italy on Sunday and was planning to rest all week.

"I haven't been on my bike since Italy, which was like five days ago, and my husband unpacked it this morning, so it didn't feel very good," Armstrong said. "But I pulled it off, so I'm happy."

The event, in its 23rd year, raced North and South on 9th and 10th streets.

Liza Rachetto, of Los Altos, Calif., and Tiffany Pezzulo, of Salt Lake City, finished second and third in the women's pro race - 1 second behind the four-time national champion.

"It's an honor to race with Kristin," said Rachetto, who grew up in Boise. "The hometown crowd is very motivating. I also rode in Italy, so it was a nice chance to get the rust out of our legs, and riding behind Kristin is like riding behind a motor bike."

The hourlong race started with only 16 competitors and featured a couple breakaways before the lead pack was whittled to seven with less than 20 minutes remaining.

Armstrong attempted a breakaway with two laps remaining, but couldn't hold off the pack. With the leaders together with a lap to go, Armstrong had no choice but to wait for the final straightaway. Her strength proved to be too much for her pursuers and she thrust her arms into the air as she crossed the finish line to a roar from an appreciative crowd.

The men's pro race featured a field of 82 riders and came down to a sprint, which was won by Team Type 1's Ken Hanson, of Santa Barbara, Calif.. He held off teammate Aldo Ino Ilesic, of Mt. Arlington, N.J.

Team Type 1 riders led a pursuit of two breakaway riders and caught the duo going into the final corner to set up Hanson for the victory.

"The team was great," said Hanson, who won the San Rafael (Calif.) Twilight Criterium last week without his teammates. "It was awesome. É It couldn't have been more perfect from a team standpoint."