A fundraiser has been launched to help Cuban rider Marlies Mejías García continue her pursuit of Olympic qualification on the track, after the Cuban Cycling Federation informed her it cannot fund her participation in track events in 2026.
Mejías, a two-time Olympian and multiple Pan American medallist, is targeting a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, with her supporters describing the next 12 to 24 months as a crucial period in the qualification pathway. The campaign is being driven by the need to cover the competition and travel costs required to race key track events and remain eligible to score points.
The fundraiser is hosted on GoFundMe here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-marlies-mejias-reach-the-olympics
Funding shortfall for 2026 track racing
According to the appeal, Mejías was recently told that Cuba’s federation will not be able to support her participation in track events this year because of a lack of funding. That creates immediate pressure, with the Olympic qualification pathway building around major international events, including the UCI Track World Championships.
Mejías is a salaried rider with Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28, the UCI Continental women’s team that supports her core programme. However, the appeal notes that when Mejías represents Cuba at international track events, several high-performance and logistical costs sit outside both the team’s budget and the federation’s resources.
Those costs include track-specific equipment and testing, selected training camps, incremental travel and logistics, and certain event fees.
“This journey is bigger than fear or pride”
Mejías said in a statement included in the fundraiser that asking for help was difficult, but necessary to keep her Olympic ambitions alive.
“Asking for help isn’t easy for me, but this journey is bigger than fear or pride,” she said. “Competing in the Pan American and World Cups is a crucial step toward my lifelong dream: earning a place at the Olympic Games… Your support, whether through a donation, sharing this page, or simply believing in me means more than I can put into words.”
A prolific 2025 and nine career UCI wins
The 32-year-old has been one of the standout winners on the North American circuit in recent seasons. The fundraiser says Mejías claimed 21 victories in 2025, and she arrives in 2026 as a rider with nine career UCI wins, including national titles and stage wins at US stage races.
Her UCI wins include:
- Cuba road race champion (2025)
- Cuba individual time trial champion (2025)
- Tour of the Gila stage wins (2024, 2023)
- Joe Martin Stage Race stage win (2023)
- Pan-American time trial win (2021)
- Cuba ITT titles (2018, 2015)
- Pan-American road race win (2015)
TWENTY28 and an Olympic-focused programme
Mejías races for Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28, a long-running US programme that has evolved across Olympic cycles. The team was created in 2005 with an Olympic development aim and has changed its name every four years to reflect the next Games, now operating as TWENTY28 for LA 2028. Mejías lives in Salem, Virginia, with her husband and six-year-old daughter, and is regarded as a role model locally and within the Latin community.
What the fundraiser will support
The GoFundMe page states that donations will be used directly for essential costs including:
- flights
- hotels
- transport
- visas
- food
It also notes that donating airline miles could be another way to help with international travel.
The appeal frames the goal as bridging competition-specific gaps so Mejías can focus on performance and continue earning points for Olympic qualification.
