Summer Slamming in Los Angeles
Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28 is back on the boards this week for Summer Slam at the VELO Sports Center in Carson, California; the future home of track cycling at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
The team will be based in Redlands, California, at Casa Sabo for the next couple of weeks, with race nights spent close to the velodrome. Marlies Mejías and Rylee McMullen arrived fresh off a successful C1 racing block in Trinidad and are joined by Anna Hicks and Sofia Arreola for a strong TWENTY28 lineup.
Summer Slam features morning qualifiers followed by main events in the evening, creating full days of racing, recovery, and preparation.
The tournament opened with the Elimination Race, where all four Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28 riders qualified for the final. World Champion Yareli Acevedo took the win, with Marlies Mejías riding to a strong silver medal and Stephanie Lawrence taking bronze. Anna Hicks finished 5th, and Rylee McMullen placed 8th.
It was a solid opening night for the team and a valuable reminder of what makes track racing so demanding. On the track, there is no hiding. Every move is exposed, the lap gains, the missed opportunities, the split-second decisions, the mistakes, and the accomplishments. Riders learn in real time and in front of everyone, which can be both humbling and deeply rewarding. For this group, it was another important step in sharpening race craft, building confidence, and continuing to grow. A big thank you to Jo Kiesanowski for being on hand to assist the team.
For full report head over here! https://conta.cc/3T9uVxX
