Following a pair of victories in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to conclude the USA CRITS series, Marlies Mejías (Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28) completed a four-for-four sweep on the US Memorial Day weekend campaign, taking wins at Easton Criterium on Sunday and Tour of Somerville on Monday.
It was the second consecutive year the Cuban sprinter has been the best woman at Somerville. Lucas Bourgoyne (Cadence Cyclery PB Waldo Racing) duplicated efforts for a second year and won the men's elite title at the New Jersey race.
Just a week ago, Mejías rode to second on general classification at the six-day Tour de Bloom in the Pacific northwest, winning two stages.
Next, she was firing on all cylinders for the final two stops of USA CRITS, winning solo at Streets of Fire Criterium and then attacking from a three-rider breakaway for the win at Winston-Salem Classic, her teammate Rylee McMullen taking second.
At the Easton Criterium p/b Lehigh Valley Health Network and Tour of Somerville p/b Unity Bank, both races came down to bunch sprints, where Mejías powered clear in the final metres, opening a significant gap to second place.
Jenna Netman (Automatic Racing) and Paola Muñoz (Fearless Femme /b The Beasley Firm) rounded out the women's podium at Easton, while Skylar Schneider (L39ION of Los Angeles) and Odette Lynch (HigherDOSE-Renova) completed the top three in Somerville.
“I could not have done this without my teammates. Rylee [McMullen] and Sofia [Arreola] were phenomenal all weekend, keeping things under control and putting me in the right position. Thanks to my coach, Kristin Armstrong, I continue to get stronger," Mejías said.
"The first part of the year was focused heavily on track, and that has also made me faster on the road. Paired with our new STROMM aero road bikes, I feel like I have gained a lot of speed this year.”
Following a victory by Luke Fetzer at Winston Salem Classic, Team Cadence Cyclery pb Waldo Racing was on the hunt for two more victories. Both races were full-on with team tactics and high-speed field sprints.
Jim Brown (L39ION of Los Angeles) thwarted the momentum of Cadence Cyclery in Easton when he swooped around their team leader Bourgoyne for the win. James Wilson (Whoosh-NZ Cycling Project) took third ahead of Jordan Parra (Foundation Cycling New York). One day later, it would be Bourgouyne countering with the victory, leaving L39IOIN in third place behind Alejandro Che (Kelly Benefits).
It was a sixth year for the Easton Crit and the 81st edition of the Somerville, New Jersey race, now the longest-running one-day race in the country.
Full results can be found from organisers for Easton Crit and Tour of Somerville.
