Cubans among Best Cyclists of the World in 2014

HAVANA, Cuba, Dec 16 (acn) Lisandra Guerra and Marlies Mejias ratify Cuba among the world powers in women's track cycling by finishing the current season among the leaders of the world ranking in several competitive modalities.

The recent update of the International Cycling Union, issued on December 8th, shows Guerra as one of the most stable and competitive sprinters in the world, while Mejias has become one of the most complete cyclists, with her fifth seat in the omnium event.

Thus, Guerra ends her foreign participation of the year in third place in the 500 meter time trial, with 375 points, while she was sixth in the sprint (505) and 14th in the keirin (390).

The experienced Cuban cyclist started her competitive actions when appearing fourth and fifth on the sprint and time trial, respectively, during the concluding phase of the 2013-2014 World Cup, staged in the Mexican city of Jalisco, in the month of January.

In the World Championship in Cali, Colombia, in late February, her best performance was in the 500 meters time trial, with a fourth seat, while in September she won two crowns (500 m time trial and sprint) and a bronze medal (team sprint) at the First Sports Festival in Mexico.

For the start of the 2014-2015 World Cup in November, Guerra achieved a bronze medal in the sprint event held in Mexican velodrome of Aguascalientes, before taking part in the Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz, in that same country, where she won four crowns on the track, like her teammate Marlies Mejias.

Precisely Mejias ends her competitive campaign in the top five of the omnium event, with a total of 345 units, behind Britain's Laura Trott (450), Belgian Jolien D'Hoore (435), American Sara Hammer (378) and Polish Katarzyna Pawlowska (352), in that order.

The main results of the 22 years old cyclist were the silver medal reached on the world cup with stage in Aguascalientes and the fifth seat in the second stop of the same event, held from December 5 to 7 in London, UK.

Mejias also finished tenth in the Cali WC, whereas in the Mexican Sports Festival she reached a total of three silver medals -including the omnium- and one bronze.

Both cyclists will start their activities next year when participating on January 17 and 18 at the concluding stage of the World Cup, which will host the Colombian city of Cali, in search for their tickets to the World Championship in February, in France, and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.