NEWS! Intelligentsia Cup was another new experience for the Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY24 Team . Marlies Mejias won the event in 2017 with her South American team. This was the goal again - win the overall and earn as much money as possible with two athletes!  

The campaign opened up with a win from Sofia, as the week went on Marlies came into form taking 4 wins and 3 second places and the overall and none of this would be possible without her extraordinary teammate Sofia Arreola.

NEWS!  "Day 1 of Intelligentsiaa Cup was a good day, our mighty team of 2 was on 🔥 Marlies and I won lots of primes and with the help of Marlies I got in the break to snag the WIN!  

We are now in the leaders jersey 🏆 Big shoutout to William, Rafael and Nicola for making this last minute trip possible!!"  

NEWS! "This Nationals has been such a great experience! From racing to meeting my team, I’ve had so much fun! In the Time Trial, I raced as hard as I could and came in 2nd. A good start to the week! My race was at 4:30 pm so I was waiting in the hotel, hydrating, eating, and playing Mario Kart. It was a super hot day.  

Once the race started, one of my competitors attacked and I quickly followed. Coming into the final corner, I remember Shelly telling me to go early. I did the longest sprint I have done in a long time and held off my competitor by half a wheel. I was super excited because it was the first national championship I have ever won! - Aine Chen 13-14 National Road Champion

NEWS!  "I was so excited when USA Cycling announced that it would take place in Roanoke, Virginia. The Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains are beautiful and spectacular! This year's criterium in Downtown Roanoke was the most technical and most fun nationals course I have ever raced. The Criterium win was huge for me and my top goal to achieve in cycling to date. I can't state how much I appreciate my amazing teammates. I couldn't have won that race without each one of my teammates incredible efforts during the race. I am beyond happy to be able to say that I am your 2022 15/16 girls National Criterium Champion and I can't wait to come back and race next year." - Dahlia Kissel 15-16 National Criterium Champion

NEWS! Congratulations Jennifer Valente on securing Omnium GOLD at the recent UCI Track Nations Cup in Cali, Colombia

NEWS! Congratulations Jennifer Valente and Colleen Gulick for Madison GOLD a first for USA. 

NEWS! "I had raced Tour of America's Dairyland several years ago and it was fun to be back. We came together as a team very quickly and tried new tactics each day and it was great to be with athletes that. really supported each others goals. We have raced against each other as nations but we built a lot of camaraderie over the 10 days of racing and i am looking forward to racing with these women again." - Marlies Mejias (CUB)

NEWS! "I loved that all the crits were a bit different and that we got to check out many of Wisconsin’s small towns! With 10 days of racing it was a good opportunity to try new tactics. We were able to learn from one another and come together as a team throughout the week. We learned each other’s strengths, weaknesses, stood on several podiums and grabbed many primes along the way!" - Sofia Arreola (MEX) 

NEWS! This 11-days of racing meanders through the lush southeast Wisconsin dairyland.

The KwikTrip Tour of America’s Dairyland launched in 2009 by several Milwaukee-area cycling enthusiasts, among them Billy Ochowicz and Tom Schuler and remains America's longest stage event on the calendar.  

We fielded an international roster led by Olympic Champion Jennifer Valente (USA) and  included Marlies Mejias (CUBA), Sofia Arreola (Mexico) and for five races Melisa Rollins (USA) 

NEWS! Our goal was not the overall omnium as we were only staying for 9 of the 11 races, we ended up staying for 10 as it was so much fun!  Stage wins, collect as much cash as possible and win the mid race sprint jersey. The athletes scooped up literally thousands of dollars of primes and prize money while exploring America's dairyland. For our three world class track racers and one mountain biker it was a perfect opportunity to hone in criterium skills throughout the week. 

NEWS! "I am so grateful and blessed that I had the opportunity to race the iconic Unbound Gravel Race. It was amazing to race with our Twenty24 teammates! The race came down to a sprint, and I was happy to come away with the win." - Alexa Jaramillo 

"Great seeing teammates at Unbound Gravel! It was my first time attending this race and it did not disappoint as it was a lot of fun." - Makala Jaramillo 

"Unbound 2022 did not disappoint, the race itself was short and sweet but the real highlight of this weekend was to see some of our amazing sponsors who support us every day. Another highlight was watching Melisa finish her first 200-mile unbound and watching Charlotte finish her first 100-mile unbound!" - Weigel Twins 

NEWS!  "Unbound Gravel was an adventure — my longest day ever on a bike. While I have done a few ultra-marathons in the 12+ hr. range, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, especially in a race this big, with this many top-level athletes.

I positioned myself well toward the front of the pack in the opening miles, but as the pace started to accelerate around the 40-minute mark, another rider clipped my bars and sent me onto the ground. I gathered myself and my bike, narrowly avoiding getting hit again as the rest of the racers hurled toward me. As I started pedaling, I noticed both the straps on my shoe had broken off where I had slid across the dirt, leaving my shoe loosely attached like a slipper to my foot. This was going to be a long day.

NEWS! La Grange, GA hosted the 3rd race of Speed Week. An early break established with 2 L39ion and 2 Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY24 athletes and the game of cat and mouse ensued! With Valente taking the top step. 

NEWS! This is the first time the team has competed in Speed Week. Every day is a new opportunity to build on. There are  seven races this week and so far the small but mighty squad continues to improve. 

NEWS! With a tremendous leadout from Jennifer Valente, Emily finished 2nd on the Spatenburg opening race at Speed Week. Sofia and Ariane did a great job of positioning the leader throughout the race. Not bad for a first time racing together! 

NEWS! Each race is an opportunity to brush up on crit skills! Today was one of the more technical courses and super fun! 3rd today for Emily. Thanks to Shelley, Gary and Maria for a smooth day on and off the bike. 

NEWS! Post a medal winning Olympics its time to mix things up and have some adventurous fun for Jennifer Valente! That might include some gravel, road, track and criterium  racing plus some hiking in the mountains of France! Boulder Roubaix is a dirt-road race that celebrated its 30th anniversary this past Saturday, and a number of high-profile athletes came out to race with about 1,000 locals. 

NEWS!  Sea Otter Classic hosted the season opener of the Life Time GP. Life Time Grand Prix is the newest off-road cycling series produced by the nation’s premier healthy lifestyle brand, Life Time. Watch as the best cyclists in the country compete across six iconic races on varying terrain for a $250,000 prize purse, split evenly between men and women.

NEWS!  "It takes a lot of smarts, aggression, confidence and trust to make a plan work perfectly in a criterium. This time it worked. I gave everything I could to fight for position and execute the plan. 

NEWS!  Rukhsar Habibzai’s journey to Roanoke started on a bicycle in Kabul and ended in an airport terminal.

NEWS!  "My first Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty24 team camp was an unforgettable one. Before this year, I never had the opportunity to be a part of a team. The VBR Twenty24 ladies, old and new, accepted me with open arms making me feel at home and deserving of my spot on the team. 

Valente wins her first Olympic GOLD medal in the women's omnium in Tokyo. Jennifer joined the TWENTY24 program late 2011 in her final junior year. A decade later she wins her first Olympic gold medal. 

Photo: Getty Images