Organisers of the American Criterium Cup confirmed the eight-race schedule for a fourth edition of the collection of established, one-day US races for elite women and men in 2025.
The series has an almost identical calendar with a few geographic changes for a zig-zagging pattern across eight central and western US states. Racing begins June 6 at the Friday night race for Saint Francis Tulsa Tough in Oklahoma and culminates Labour Day weekend at the Gateway Cup in Missouri.
Modifications on the menu include a move from July to June 14 for the Salt Lake City Criterium, now the second stop and one week after Tulsa Tough, with a new venue yet to be confirmed. The Bailey & Glasser Twilight Criterium in Idaho moves from June to July 19.
While the Utah and Idaho races used to go back-to-back, there's now a one-month gap between the dates and the IU Health Momentum Indy in Indiana and the Historic Downer Avenue race (part of Tour of America's Dairyland) in between.
During the Chicago Grit week, the ACC stop will be on the final Sunday at the Fulton Market venue on July 27, a change from a Saturday race in Lake Bluff. While there is conflict with the new date for Boise being on the opening day of Chicago Grit, that weekend of racing in the Chicago area is non-ACC related. The other returning race is the Audi Denver Littleton Twilight Criterium in Colorado on August 2.
“The members events of the American Criterium Cup are excited to launch their fourth season, weaving together eight of the best days of criterium racing in eight cities crossing the US," Mike Weiss, event director for the Gateway Cup and manager of the ACC, told Cyclingnews.
"Returning for the 2025 season, the ACC Renaissance Financial Junior Series will highlight the top 15/16 and 17/18 junior men and women. This program connects the future top US U18 cyclists with current professional men and women through post-season mentoring and team camps."
Skylar Schneider (Miami Blazers) and Jordan Parra (REIGN Storm Racing) won the individual titles in the American Criterium Cup last year, with Schneider adding the sprint competition overall. Danny Summerhill led wire-to-wire in the men's sprint classification, while his REIGN Storm Racing squad dominated the men's team standings.
The women's competition will see reshuffling next year as DNA Pro Cycling, the top women's team, closed their doors after 12 seasons and three of the top four individual women will ride for new teams. Skylar Schneider has moved to the WorldTour with SD Worx-Protime, Rylee McMullen to Virginia's Blue Ridge and Alexis Magner to Cynisca Cycling.
Last year, riders and teams took home shares in a total prize purse of $100,000 with the top men's and women's teams earning $10,000 each. The individual prize money was paid 10 deep, and there was another $12,000 split among the top three overall sprinters in each category. Weiss told Cyclingnews that a final prize purse, awards structure and series programming for 2025 would be announced in the coming months.
"All the ACC events offer 34 days of racing and over $500K in total prize money, with an additional purse at the end of the season to the top men’s and women’s Series, Sprint, and Team leaders," Weiss added.
The ACC began with 10 events spanning the US in 2022, which began in April with two races in the southeast. Two original races, Athens Orthopedic Clinic Twilight in Georgia and Sunny King Criterium in Alabama, have moved to the USA Crits series, which is expected to announce a full schedule in the coming weeks.
The ACC continues to include individual races that are part of long-standing, multi-day road race series, including ToAD, the largest, competitive road cycling series in the US with 11 consecutive days of racing in southeast Wisconsin, and Chicago Grit, 10 days of criteriums in the Chicago, Illinois area that were formerly called Intelligentsia Cup.
American Criterium Cup calendar 2025
- Friday, June 6 - Saint Francis Tulsa Tough, Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Saturday, June 14 - The Salt Lake City Criterium, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Saturday, June 28 - Kwik Trip Tour of America’s Dairyland, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Friday, July 11 - IU Health Momentum Indy, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Saturday, July 19 - Bailey Glasser Boise Twilight Criterium, Boise Idaho
- Sunday, July 27 - Chicago Grit, Chicago, Illinois
- Saturday, August 2 - Audi Denver Littleton Twilight Criterium, Denver, Colorado
- Sunday, August 31 - Bommarito Audi West County Gateway Cup, St. Louis, Missouri
