Crit racing is ready to return to the spotlight

Kai Caddy

Rob Kelly, like all criterium racers, lives life one corner at a time. Besides writing about crits for Escape Collective , he has his own Substack, The Chronicle. He also hosts The Criterium Nation podcast where he explores the deeper elements of finding the apex of racing culture.

The American criterium racing scene, much like road racing in the United States more generally, has been navigating turbulent waters for the better part of a decade – but it may at last be emerging from the wilderness. With a little help, crit racing could be poised for a return to past glories, or even a step up to new heights.

Not so long ago, there was a vaguely unifying force in American road racing. Most recently it was referred to as the Pro Road Tour (PRT), and prior to that as the National Racing Calendar (NRC). These calendars were administered by USA Cycling, and tracked what were then considered the most prestigious road races and criteriums in the country. The PRT/NRC provided a backbone of a broader nationwide schedule of races that mixed regional and national caliber events. It also served as a ranking system for teams and riders which provided admission to larger events and the national championships. Regrettably, that system unceremoniously vanished after the conclusion of the 2021 season.

Coincidentally, 2021 was the same year that USACrits, the substantially more geographically robust precursor to the current version of the series, collapsed when most of the major teams refused to continue racing its events after unsavory allegations emerged regarding its key person, Kevin "Scott" Morris. [Morris was given a permanent ban by SafeSport and USA Cycling in 2023 with a reason of criminal disposition involving a minor and sexual misconduct. -Ed.] From that point on, the American race calendar devolved into disparate events fighting each other for predominance, but over the last four years, the turbulent seas have started to calm and cooperation has begun to reemerge.

Notably, the progress that has been made is the end result of grassroots efforts by promoters and teams, rather than through the benevolence of any governing body. This has arguably given the landscape an air of legitimacy that previously did not exist – and now, crit racing is ripe for genuine progress. One potential pathway for that progress is some sort of unified calendar to attract the biggest stars, and it only takes a bit of imagination to dream up something that fits the bill, drawing from the already existing series that have taken shape in recent years thanks to those vital grassroots efforts.

Over time there have been a number of claims to the title of a “national series.” The aforementioned USACrits was clearly one of those, and for about a decade did an above-average job at pushing a narrative forward and incorporating a nascent livestream to boast coverage. The version of USACrits that has come back into existence in the last couple years is more modest and could be better classified as a southeastern regional series that takes place over seven weekends in April and May. It’s a daunting run of events for anyone who lives outside of Georgia, Alabama, and the Carolinas, and this limits its ability to draw in bigger pools of teams from beginning to end.

With that in mind, the newest contender to the claim of a national series is the American Criterium Cup (ACC). The ACC was started “with the belief that the time is right for criterium racing to assert its independence in American racing,” according to their strategic foundation documents. In doing so, the promoters linked six events into a season-long omnium-style competition that runs from the first week of June to the first weekend in September.

The more spaced out schedule allows teams greater flexibility in getting to races while managing normal life, as the overwhelming majority of criterium racers have to have day jobs in order to make ends meet – a reality that any criterium calendar needs to take into consideration. Just look at Dr. Andrea Cyr, last year’s runner-up in the women’s ACC. A medical doctor with a focus in sports medicine, she needs to balance an active medical practice alongside getting to races beyond the confines of her home in Indianapolis.

This post is for subscribers only

Become a member to get access to all content

Subscribe now