Lucas Bourgoyne of Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Encore Wire and Marlies Mejias Garcia of Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28 emerged victorious in the sprint finishes at the historic Tour of Somerville on Memorial Day. The event, celebrating its 80th edition, drew large crowds along the course of the nation’s oldest continuously run bike race.
Bourgoyne, the newly crowned elite men’s US Pro criterium champion, made his first win in the stars-and-stripes jersey a memorable one by holding off a hard-charging Ben Oliver of MITOQ-NZ Cycling Team, who had won the Easton Criterium just a day earlier. Jordan Parra of Bikers Cycling Team rounded out the podium in third.
The 24-year-old Texan had captured the US Pro title just days before in Charleston, West Virginia. He then traveled to North Carolina, where he helped his team secure the overall title at USA CRITS with a strong performance at the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic.
In the women’s race, Mejias captured her second win in three days, following her field sprint victory in Winston-Salem on Saturday. Her Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28 team remained composed as Automatic-ABUS pushed the pace from the start in Somerville. The race saw several attacks, but the field remained intact until the final lap, when Automatic-ABUS surged again. However, it was TWENTY28 that dominated the closing moments, positioning Mejias perfectly for a powerful sprint to the finish line. She crossed ahead of Odette Lynch of Fearless Femme and Meg Barker of TEKKERZ.
Many of the same riders had competed just a day earlier at the Easton Crit in Pennsylvania, about 40 miles from Somerville. Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28 secured another podium there with Sofia Arreola taking the win, followed by Grace Arlandson of Automatic-ABUS and Lynch of Fearless Femme.
On the men’s side in Easton, a three-man breakaway defined the race. Ben Oliver took the win for MITOQ-NZ Cycling Project, with teammate James Gardner finishing third behind runner-up Juan Arango of Bikers Cycling Team.
The back-to-back races showcased high-level sprinting and tactical strength across both fields, with Bourgoyne and Mejias asserting themselves as dominant forces during a competitive Memorial Day weekend on the U.S. criterium circuit.
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