Marlies Mejias Garcia (Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28) and Luke Fetzer (Team Cadence Cyclery pb Waldo Racing) scored the elite victories at the WSCC Gears & Guitars Criterium on Saturday.
The North Carolina criterium, held on a figure-8-shaped 1.4km course that loops up and around Bailey Park, marked the eighth and final competition across seven weeks of USA Crits.
Liza Ray (Kingdom Elite Racing) and Leonel Rodriguez (MC Cycling Team) won the individual titles in the series of one-day races.
Mejias soloed to back-to-back victories in Winston-Salem, following her win on Friday night’s criterium held on a different course. The Cuban-born powerhouse attacked on the second lap and held off the peloton for two hours before raising both arms in celebration as she crossed the finish line.
In the battle for podium places, speeding towards the line 15 seconds later, Rylee McMullen (Virginia's Blue Ridge Twenty28) took second by a bike throw ahead of Chloe Patrick (Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing).
Ray took over the leaderboard following her dominating victory at LaGrange Cycling Classic, the third event of the series in Georgia. The battle for the final spots on the podium came down to the final race as Elizabeth Castaño (One Hart Racing-Nashville Local Cycling) moved up one spot to second overall, 263 points down. Elizabeth Harden (Kingdom Elite Racing), dropped to third place, a further 54 points in arrears.
In the men’s contest, which was hit by rain in the last laps, Fetzer launched a blistering attack on the final lap, just as he and his breakaway companion Bryan Gomez were about to be caught by the peloton. Fetzer, the U23 criterium champion, held on to claim his first USA Crits victory of the season.
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In the chaotic finale, Foundation Cycling New York's Marcos Mendez took second ahead of his teammate Gomez.
Though he did not win any individual event, a consistent Leonel Rodriguez (MC Cycling Team) claimed the overall, with a slim 25 points on Gomez, and Mendez a further 3 points back.
The USA CRITS points system rewarded aggression throughout the race. Riders receive 50 start points, finish points based on final placing, sprint points at three designated moments, and one point per lap led.
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WSCC Gears & Guitars Criterium, finale of USA Crits
(Image credit: Adam Koble / USA CRITS)
Marlies Mejias wins USA Crits series finale
(Image credit: Adam Koble / USA CRITS)
Top 3 women for USA Crits 2026 (l-r): Elizabeth Castaño second, Liza Ray first and Elizabeth Harden third
(Image credit: Adam Koble / USA CRITS)
Top 3 men for USA Crits 2026 (l-r): Bryan Gomez second, Leonel Rodriguez first, and Marcos Mendez third
(Image credit: Adam Koble / USA CRITS)
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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