Alexis Magner (Cynisca Cycling) and Clever Martinez (CRCA/Foundation) earned emphatic victories at Saturday's Athens Orthopedic Clinic Twilight using two completely different tactics. Magner scored her third consecutive victory in Athens with a last-lap acceleration while Martinez only had to distance breakaway partner Will Hardin (Team Winston-Salem) as the two lapped the field in the first 30 minutes of racing.
Magner waited to use her long sprint ability on the uphill to the finish in Athens. She launched a final acceleration on the outside of turn four and carved out a half-bike length lead which Arielle Verhaaren (Automatic Racing) could not close. Verhaaren finished second and Magner's sister Kendall Ryan (L39ION of Los Angeles) took third in downtown Athens.
Heather Fischer (Smash Racing) led the field sprint for fourth in the 56-minute elite women's race, just ahead of Holly Breck (L39ION of Los Angeles) and Peta Mullens (Liv SRAM Tango Racing).
Originally from California, Magner now makes her home in Athens so the win was that much sweeter. It was her first race on home soil this season, having completed a European calendar of eight races a week ago, which included top 20s at Ronde de Mouscron Clasica de Almeria and Vuelta CV Féminas.
Martinez came into his third USA CRITS race fresh off winning double gold medals at the Pan American Track Championships for Venezuela, which he called "the most important event on the continent". Earlier in the season he came away with a trio of victories at the 2025 Venezuelan Track National Championships, winning the Omnium Race, Elimination Race and Madison.
"Just really happy and grateful to be out here and doing what I want to do, the biggest race in the US. To have the suppot of my CRCA Foundation team, thank you so much boys," he said to the crowd after his win.
Only a few laps into the four-corner, one-kilometre course Martinez and Hardin slipped away. Michael Garrison (MGR pb +Speed l Studio) tried to distance himself from the field with 30 laps to go but had no help and the lead duo lapped the field. Martinez was the fifth rider across the line to finish the 1:34:39 race and secured the victory with his lap gained.
Jim Brown (Golden State Blazers) took third, nabbing the podium spot from L39ION's Danny Summerhill, who has been second in the Athens Twilight four times. Last year Summerhill finished behind winner Thomas Gibbons (Automatic Racing), who was 11th on Saturday.
Athens Twilight, now in its 45th season, is the fourth of nine stops on the USA CRITS race series. Last year Magner won the overall, with Ryan going third in the individual standings with the pair both racing for L39ION. In this year's standing through four races, Aylena Quevedo (Kingdom Elite Racing) holds a 99 point margin over second-placed Elizabeth Harden. Quevedo was 10th in Athens while Harden finished 13th.
In the USA CRITS men's standings, Lucas Bourgoyne (Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Encore Wire) holds a slim three-point lead over Michael Garrison (MGR pb +Speed l Studio) after four events. Bourgoyne finished 12th in Athens, three spots ahead of Garrison.
