Marlies Mejias (Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28) and Bryan Gomez (Foundation Cycling New York) each sprinted to their first USA Crits victories of the season Friday evening at the Streets of Fire Criterium in Winston-Salem, the seventh stop on the eight-event series calendar.
Cuban-born Mejias had time to celebrate her win, taking a quick look behind her before raising her arm as she crossed the line. Laurel Rathburn (Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing) was second and Elizabeth Castaño (One Hart Racing-Nashville Local Cycling) rounded out the podium.
Series leader Liza Ray (Kingdom Elite Racing) finished sixth and remained at the top of the leaderboard with 1621 points, a lead of 228 points on her teammate Elizabeth Harden. Castaño solidified her third place overall, trailing second place by only 27 points. With a slim 50-point spread between second through fourth, the final podium is still up for grabs.
In the men’s contest, Gomez claimed the win ahead of his teammate Marcos Mendez with Maddox Simmons (Chaney Windows and Doors Big Shark pb Pastaria) taking third.
The win lifted Gomez into second place overall, trailing Leonel Rodriguez (MC Cycling Team) by 48 points. Mendez, who was tied with Gomez, is now in third overall, only 5 points behind second place, and Preston Eye (Clif Family Drifters Cycling) trails a further 32 points in fourth place.
Opening the final weekend of racing in Winston-Salem, the Streets of Fire Criterium featured a fast, technical six-turn downtown course around Merschel Plaza before the finale Gears & Guitars Criterium crowns the 2026 USA CRITS champions.
USA Crits Streets of Fire Criterium men's podium: second place Marcos Mendez (Foundation Cycling New York), winner Bryan Gomez (Foundation Cycling New York) and third place Maddox Simmons (Chaney Windows and Doors Big Shark pb Pastaria) (Image credit: Adam Koble / USA CRITS)
Results
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Pro women - Top 10
Position
Rider (Country) Team
Time Gap
1
Marlies Mejias Garcia (Cub) Virginia's Blue Ridge Twenty28
42:12
2
Laurel Rathbun (USA) Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing
+02
3
Elizabeth Castaño (Col) One Hart Racing - Nashville Local Cycling
+02
4
Elizabeth Castaño (Col) One Hart Racing - Nashville Local Cycling
+03
5
Yarely Salazar, Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing
+04
6
Liza Ray (USA) Kingdom Elite Racing
+04
7
Elizabeth Harden, Kingdom Elite Racing
+05
8
Emma Frost, Piedmont University
+05
9
Rebecca Lang, Team Winston Salem - Flow
+06
10
Claire Abrey (Can) Team Winston Salem - Flow
+06
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Pro men - Top 10
Position
Rider (Country) Team
Time Gap
1
Bryan Gomez (Col) Foundation Cycling New York
44:32
2
Leonardo Andrés Méndez Benítez, Foundation Cycling New York
+0
3
Maddox Simmons, Chaney Windows and Doors Big Shark pb Pastaria
+0
4
Preston Eye, Clif Family Drifters Cycling
+01
5
Kyle Tiesler, Team Winston Salem
+02
6
Leonel Quintero Arteaga (Ven) MC Cycling Team
+02
7
Brandon Feehery, South Chicago Wheelmen
+02
8
Johan Gomez, La Parrilla/Arias Racing
+02
9
Edward Fritzinger, The Racing Division p/b PACE Coaching Co.
+02
10
Lucas Bourgoyne (Team Cadence Cyclery pb Waldo Racing)
+03
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Lyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing. She founded Podium Insight in 2008, quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world. She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans. She is proud to have covered men's and women's news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site. Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites.
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