A last-lap altercation between Michael Hernandez (HGR Construction's Best Buddies Racing) and Justin Williams (L39LION of Los Angeles) escalated into a heated verbal, then fist exchange.

The physical altercation between Hernandez and Justin Williams that occurred after Saturday's race resulted in the referee disqualifying both riders and suspending them for 72 hours.

The ruling was made under USA Cycling Rule 8A3(a) for "violent conduct" between riders; USA Cycling is actively investigating the matter and may add to both riders' suspensions.

Prior to the suspensions, the L39ion of Los Angeles team had scored a Royal Flush in Round 6 of the American Criterium Cup, sweeping the top five places, with Ty Magner winning, Tyler Williams finishing second, and Justin Williams finishing third. After the DSQ, Corey Williams moved up to third place, with Alec Cowan in fourth.

The L39ION of Los Angeles team cited both teams for "uncontrollable aggression" in Saturday's race in downtown Salt Lake City and for aggressive behavior in the women's race at the Salt Lake Criterium - Sugarhouse Park and excluded them from Sunday's second day of racing at the park. This was done "to prioritize the safety of the teams."

The heat wave in sunny Salt Lake City reached 98F (36C), with track temperatures reaching 130F (54C) during Saturday's race. Due to the extreme weather conditions, the competition time for both women and men was reduced from 70 to 60 minutes. It appears that ice packs alone were not enough to alleviate the unstable conditions.

The men's race saw many crashes and a push and shove in the peloton on the final lap. Curtis White (Best Buddies Racing) led the way on the final lap, with Hernandez chasing Cory Williams in seventh.

The chaos on the final lap came when Hernandez took the inside line in the first turn, went into the gutter, bounced off the curb, and nearly crashed. Cory Williams swerved on the outside shoulder and put his right foot back on the pedal. In the live stream video, it appeared that the Best Buddies racer lost the most momentum as Cory Williams entered Hernandez's shoulder and drove him toward the curb. As a result, the Best Buddies racer lost the most momentum.

Hernandez appeared to be shaken as he crossed the finish line in last place. At the finish line, Hernandez exchanged words with Cory Williams as Magner was conducting the winner's interview for the live stream cameras. Justin Williams approached them and a shoving match ensued between Justin Williams and Hernandez. Both players were close by and their teammates tried to pull them apart, but it turned into a real fistfight.

"We show up to give it our all, to raise the bar, and to build a sense of belonging. It's unfortunate and problematic to be constantly provoked at events with no accountability," Cory Williams said on social media. 'Last night at the SLC crit, an aggressive rider on the L39LION made an incredibly dangerous move and dove into turn one, tripping me on my elbow. I made contact with that rider when the impact caused me to fall over. Shortly thereafter we finished the race 1-2-3-4-5 respectively.

"The rider who collided with me was waiting to confront us at the finish line and had publicly told the crew that he was 'going to fight me. What could have been a moment of celebration and an opportunity for him to apologize and move on, we responded to his uncontrollable aggression and ended up defending ourselves."

Before Saturday's race, Best Buddies used the prophetic words on Instagram, "I'm ready to fight again tonight."

"The fight incident at the Salt Lake Criterium on Saturday was unfortunate and does not reflect the core values of Best Buddies. The Best Buddies Racing team is cooperating fully with USA Cycling, providing facts as needed and awaiting the organization's final ruling," said Nicole Maddox, senior director of communications for Best Buddies International.

Hernandez won the US Elite Men's Criterium Championship two weeks ago in Roanoke, Virginia. He was second in the American Criterium Cup sprint point standings heading to Salt Lake City, 25 points behind Brandon Fihaly (Project Echelon Racing).

Rodriguez was the overall men's pro leader in the series after the Harlem Skyscraper Classic in June, but crashed badly in the closing stages of the Bailey Glasser Boise Twilight Criterium on July 9. Fihaly's second-place finish reduced the gap to Rodriguez to just two points heading into Salt Lake City. Rodriguez missed the race in Utah due to a broken collarbone, but the team said that he did not need surgery and that his return to competition would be determined on a race-by-race basis.

Kendall Ryan won Saturday's women's contest in Salt Lake City, while Skylar Schneider finished on the podium in second place, behind series leader Maggie Coles-Leister (DNA Pro Cycling).

The American Criterium Cup continues on July 30 with the Northwestern Medicine Lake Bluff Criterium, the 9th day of the Intelligencia Cup in Illinois.