Following the launch of his third team, the Austin Aviators, L39ion of Los Angeles's Justin Williams today announced the creation of a new race series, the Circuit Racing International Tour (CRIT).
CRIT is a partnership between's William's company, Williams Racing Development (WRDevo), and Wasserman Ventures, which is an offshoot of the powerhouse talent agency Wasserman.
Williams has a long-standing relationship with Wasserman, having been represented by Wasserman Executive Vice President, Action Sports & Olympics Travis Clarke for the last five years.
The CRIT series is a joint, multi-million dollar investment in cycling with the aim to "shape the future of American cycling" — the second investment of this kind this year.
The CRIT announcement comes just weeks after the inaugural National Cycling League race, which carries a similar dream for the sport of cycling in America and also formed its own teams.
The WRDevo teams notably declined to be part of the NCL yet reasons for not participating in the series were not shared publicly. It appears they were busy creating a league of their own.
With CRIT, Williams' promises to promote the spirit of competition, embrace sportsmanship and share the love of bike racing.
“CRIT is the culmination of a lifetime of dedication and passion to the sport of cycling, and is our shared vision for what the future of cycling can look like,” said Williams.
“It's always been about the journey and the people we’ve met along the way. For years we’ve been striving to create an inclusive and competitive environment that brings out the best in people. We are building what we couldn’t find: a stage that welcomes riders from all walks of life, encourages competition at the highest level, and above all inspires the next generation of riders to ensure the legacy of our sport.”
While information regarding schedules, the race format or athlete participation is not yet available, we do know that the 2023 series will consist of three races held at iconic mainstream sport venues in 'major markets'.
“CRIT has been a long time in the making, but we wanted to ensure we did it correctly and aligned with some of the most powerful operators in the sporting community to give it the greatest opportunity for success,” said Travis Clarke.
“Wasserman has had a very successful relationship with Justin over the years, and we’re excited to explore the next step by bringing Justin’s vision for the future of cycling to light through the launch of CRIT.”
Since launching Williams Racing Development (WRDevo) in 2018, Williams has founded three teams — L39ion of Los Angeles, Miami Blazers and Austin Aviators—; held the the buzzworthy Lion's Den race in 2021 and now launched his own race series.
With a focus on diversity and representation and through the power of sports, WRDevo aims to build a stronger, more connected, and more vibrant global cycling community.
More to come.
