USA CRITS: Marlies Mejias and Juan Arango win finales at Winston-Salem Cycling Classic

Men's USA CRITS overall top 3 riders joined on podium in Winston-Salem by women's overall champion Aylena Quevedo
Men's USA CRITS overall top 3 riders joined on podium in Winston-Salem by women's overall champion Aylena Quevedo (Image credit: Adam Koble / USA CRITS)

Marlies Mejias Garcia (Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28) and Juan Arango (Bikes Cycling Team) scored the elite victories at the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic on May 24. 

The North Carolina criterium marked the ninth and final competition across seven weeks for USA CRITS. Aylena Quevedo (Kingdom Elite Racing) and Lucas Bourgoyne (Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Encore Wire) won the individual titles in the series of one-day races.

Bourgoyne and Luke Fetzer of the new setup Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Encore Wire earned the top two spots for elite men in the series, finishing in the top 10 in Winston-Salem. Both raced one day before the USA CRITS finale, 350 miles away in West Virginia at the USA Cycling Pro Road Championships, Bourgoyne winning the elite criterium national title and Fetzer winning the U23 criterium title. 

“It all came together...this is what we do all year long. We came here to show everyone we are the best criterium team in the country, and we did exactly that,” Bourgoyne said after the conclusion of a one-day race in North Carolina.

Quevedo and Shannon Koch captured first and third, respectively, in the women's overall, with Elizabeth Harden (Team Flicker) taking second place. 

It was a tight battle all spring across the nine women's races, Quevedo earning top 10s in eight of the nine races, including a victory in Hapeville, and winning the overall by just 28 points over Harden. The separation between second and third places was just 11 points.

Results - Winston-Salem Cycling Classic

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Women's top 5
Pos.Name (Team)
1Marlies Mejias Garcia (Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28)
2Laurel Rathburn (L39ION of Los Angeles)
3Erica Carney (Piedmont University)
4Shannon Koch (Kingdom Elite Racing)
5Elizabeth Hardin (Team Flicker)
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Men's top 5
Pos.Name (Team)
1Juan Arango (Bikers Cycling Team)
2Robin Carpenter (L39ION of Los Angeles)
3Jordan Parra (Bikers Cycling Team)
4Danny Summerhill (L39ION of Los Angeles)
5Brody McDonald (Golden State Blazers)

Final standings - USA CRITS

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USA CRITS - Women's individual final standings (nine races)
RankName (Team)Points
1Aylena Quevedo (Kingdom Elite Racing)2026
2Elizabeth Harden (Team Flicker)1998
3Shannon Koch (Kingdom Elite Racing)1987
4Ali LeCraw (Team Flicker)1757
5Luisa Parra (Bikers Cycling Team)1684
6Jeydy Praderas (Kingdom Elite Racing)1630
7Justine Thomas (Kingdom Elite Racing)1548
8Stephanie Clark (MACC Racing)1428
9Peta Mullens (Liv SRAM Tango Racing)1378
10Erica Carney (Piedmont University)1239
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USA CRITS - Women's team standings top 3
RankTeamPoints
1Kingdom Elite Racing7521
2Team Flicker5962
3L39ION of Los Angeles2819
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USA CRITS - Men's individual final standings (eight races)
RankName (Team)Points
1Lucas Bourgoyne (Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Encore Wire)1831
2Luke Fetzer (Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Encore Wire)1729
3Jamie Castaneda (Bikers Cycling Team)1720
4Clever Martinez (CRCA/Foundation)1423
5Cesar Serna (Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Encore Wire)1338
6Jordan Parra (Bikers Cycling Team)1299
7Michael Garrison (North Georgia Cycling Association, Inc)1256
8Marcos Mendez (CRCA/Foundation)1145
9Weimar Roldan (Bikers Cycling Team)1127
10Danny Summerhill (L39ION of Los Angeles)1101
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USA CRITS - Men's team standings top 3
RankTeamPoints
1Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Encore Wire5975
2Bikers Cycling Team5553
3CRCA/Foundation5263
Jackie Tyson
North American Production editor

Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. She has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast). Her favorite road and gravel rides are around horse farms in north Georgia (USA) and around lavender fields in Provence (France), and some mtb rides in Park City, Utah (USA).

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