Bailey & Glasser LLP Twilight Crit ACC Preview
Written by: Zach Nehr
Four corners, flat and fast, smack dab in the middle of downtown and directly in front of the capitol building. This is crit racing in its purest form. There are no sketchy corners, tricky roundabouts, or energy-sapping hills. Just a four-corner crit that is nothing but speed.
They say that the Bailey & Glasser LLP Twilight Crit in Boise, Idaho is the fastest criterium in the country. With average speeds above 30 mph, it’s safe to say that the rumors are true. Every crit racer wants to win on the doorstep of the Idaho State Capitol. It’s an iconic course where the fastest riders in crit racing have been racing since 1987.
That makes for 39 years, almost half a century of riders launching themselves around the rectangular course, year after year, as the city grew up around them. The Boise Twilight Criterium has drawn Olympians, international pros, American champions, and future WorldTour pros to its 0.54-mile loop, and this year it pulls them again on Saturday, July 11th for Race #3 of the American Criterium Cup.
This is the Bailey & Glasser LLP Twilight Crit.
Race #3 Preview: Bailey & Glasser LLP Twilight Crit in Boise, Idaho
ACC Race Day: July 11, 2026
Boise, Idaho
You can't talk about the Boise Twilight without remembering the Ore-Ida Women's Challenge. Before there was a twilight criterium in the Idaho Capitol district, there was a women's road race, one of the first of its kind in the United States. The project took off in 1984 and ran for 19 years, attracting top professional talent not too dissimilar from the crowd at the Twilight Crit.
The Ore-Ida Women’s Challenge ran until 2002, and overlapping in its time was a four-corner crit that would become one of the most famous in the country. In 1987, the Boise Twilight Criterium launched. The third stop on the ACC calendar has a host of big-name sponsors, including Lactalis in 2026, and title sponsor Bailey & Glasser LLP — the national law firm that has backed this race for multiple years.
Events begin with The Kids' Ride fueled by Lactalis 11:00am, followed by the ACC Juniors Race at 12:15pm and the ACC Women’s Pro 1/2 at 6:15pm and ACC Men’s Pro 1/2 at 7:45pm. In between the 30-mph crits, those on the ground can access the ICCU Fan Expo which hosts local vendors, food trucks, and a beverage garden. Let’s get into what the racers can expect on the fastest crit course in America.
The Course – Boise Twilight Crit
Boise Twilight is as straightforward as a criterium gets: four corners, wide roads, and a 0.54-mile lap.
Simplicity breeds chaos in crit racing. Take a wet and technical crit, for example. When the rain is pouring down and the corners are narrow and slippery, everyone rides slowly because they are expecting chaos. Contrast that with the four-corner Boise Crit, and there is no chaos to be had.
The roads are so wide and smooth that a solo rider could pedal around the entire course, even through the corners. That’s exactly what Luke Fetzer and Sofia Arreola did when they won the Boise Twilight Crit solo in 2025. But when there aren’t any obstacles to worry about, the peloton can create its own problems. When the course isn’t overly difficult, everyone thinks they have a chance to win. That means there are more riders at the front, fighting for position, going in breakaways, and sprinting for primes. Despite the innocent course design, the Boise Twilight Crit always delivers some form of chaos.
The Atmosphere in Boise
Look above the pavement and you will notice that the Boise Twilight Crit hosts one of the most beautiful race courses in the country, wrapping itself in a rectangle in front of the Idaho State Capitol, and coupled with views of the city's downtown skyline in every direction. This isn't your local parking lot crit – this is a showcase of Boise.
With average speeds of more than 30 mph, that means riders are moving 35-40 mph on the straightaways. The fastest recorded laps at the Boise Twilight Crit are well under a minute – like we said, it’s the fastest crit in the country.
That simplicity of Boise makes it difficult to win. The best-drilled leadout can crumble in a matter of seconds. A single crash can flip the Top 20 on its head. Breakaways can go, but they rarely stick. It happened in 2025, but it’s certainly a rarity. Attrition is low. In the final laps, you will see full-on leadout trains fighting for position at the front, riders jockeying for position on the final straight, and a sprint that starts earlier than you'd think. Get it right and you're a Boise Twilight winner. Get it slightly wrong and you might not even finish in the Top 10.
Who Wins at the Bailey & Glasser LLP Twilight Crit?
Last year, the Boise Twilight didn't produce the sprint finish everyone expected. Arreola and Fetzer both attacked late and held on solo, defying the course's reputation as a sprinter's venue. Those kinds of wins are the exception in Boise, not the rule. This year, a field sprint is much more likely.
Skylar Schneider (L39ION of Los Angeles) is the current leader of the ACC Women’s Overall standings and a former winner of the Boise Twilight Crit in 2024. The Wisconsin-native certainly knows how to win on this course, so she comes in as a big pre-race favorite. Aline Seitz (HigherDOSE | Renova) sits third in the ACC Overall and will be backed by one of the strongest crit teams in the world. The HigherDOSE | Renova squad took home multiple wins and tens of thousands of dollars in prize money from the Tour of America’s Dairyland, so they are certainly riding on a high coming into Boise. Keep a close eye on the start line as the official start list has yet to be released – riders like Bryony Botha and Claudia Marcks could show up and go for the win in the ACC Women’s Pro race.
Luke Fetzer is the defending Boise Twilight Champ, but he will not be one of the pre-race favorites in the ACC Men’s Pro race. Fetzer and his ultra-strong Team Cadence Cyclery pb Waldo Racing squad are rumored to not be on the start line in Boise due to overlapping race schedules. Many top riders from the Tour of America’s Dairyland will not be racing in Boise, including George Jackson (Whoosh - NZ Cycling Project) and US National Crit Champion Luke Elphingstone (Project Echelon Racing).
That opens the door for contenders like Cory Williams and L39ION of Los Angeles, Clif Family Drifters Cycling, and the Chaney Windows and Doors Big Shark pb Pastaria squad who leads the Davis Phinney Foundation Sprint Prime competition. But perhaps the biggest favorite for the race is a newcomer to the 2026 ACC Season: Luke Lamperti of UCI WorldTeam team EF Education–EasyPost will be on the start line at Boise. After winning Stage 1 of this year’s Paris-Nice, Lamperti is a hot favorite, even without teammates alongside him.
The ACC Junior Series, supported by Renaissance Financial, continues in Boise as well, with the next generation of American crit racers chasing their own jerseys from MUMU Apparel across four categories.
Watch the Bailey & Glasser LLP Twilight Crit via the free ACC livestream
What’s At Stake in the American Crit Cup
As a six-race series, Boise marks the midpoint of the ACC season. Following the fastest crit in the country, there will only be three ACC stops left — CHICAGO GRIT Fulton Market Grand Prix, Salt Lake Criterium, then The Bommarito Audi West County Gateway Cup in St. Louis to close out the season. Every point earned on July 11 is a point towards winning the overall series.
The overall classifications could be flipped on their heads with multiple riders missing the Boise Twilight Crit, and the same goes for the Davis Phinney Foundation Sprint Prime competition. A showing from any squad could reshuffle the team classification standings leaderboard entirely, and that’s what makes the ACC so exciting. We are almost halfway through the season, yet, the entire leaderboard could reshuffle in the blink of an eye.
After two rounds of six, here's where things stand heading into Race #3 in Boise.
Skylar Schneider leads the women with a total of 76 points, while Botha follows in second with 62 points. Schneider will wear the red leader’s jersey from MUMU Apparel despite missing out on the win in Race #2. Her second place at the Tour of America’s Dairyland keeps her on top, but Botha closed the gap significantly with her win. HigherDOSE | Renova leads the women's team competition, with Andrea Cyr holding the green Davis Phinney Foundation Sprint Prime jersey after collecting maximum sprint points in Races #1 and #2.
In the men's race, Bourgoyne leads the overall standings after picking up second place at the Tour of America’s Dairyland. That was all despite a hard crash where a chainring cut his knee and he finished with a bloody sock. Bourgoyne’s consistency has shown through thus far, but if he misses the podium in Boise, a different rider could pull on the MUMU Apparel red leader’s jersey. Chaney Windows and Doors Big Shark p/b Pastaria have Owen Gillot leading the Davis Phinney Foundation Sprint Prime classification after sweeping the intermediate prime points in Milwaukee. Foundation Cycling New York leads the men's ACC team competition, though only 12 points separate first, second, and third.
Opening the day of racing in Boise is the ACC Junior competition sponsored by Renaissance Financial. There are a total of eight jerseys from MUMU Apparel up for grabs across four categories, and there were big wins at the Tour of America’s Dairyland with the Junior National Championships following only a few days later.
Two days before the pros took to the streets of Downer Avenue, the ACC Junior Criterium Cup sponsored by Renaissance Financial took place in Bay View, just a few miles south of the Downer Classic. The Junior Boys 15-18 Cat 1/2/3 and Junior Girls 15-18 faced off on one of the most technical courses in the Tour of America’s Dairyland.
Diego Duran narrowly won the Junior Boys 17-18 race in a bunch sprint ahead of Casey Warren and Jackson Clary. Finnley Sonnemann doubled up in the Junior Boys 15-16, the only rider to win the ACC Junior race in both Tulsa Tough and the Tour of America’s Dairyland.
In the Junior Girls races, Tessa Beebe topped the podium in the Junior Girls 17-18, ahead of Bella Kroutil and Naomi Thurman. Camille Culbertson took the win in the Junior Girls 15-16, while Cora Cusack and Valentina Celada rounded out the podium filled with C-letter surnames.
For a detailed breakdown of the ACC series standings, check out the Pro Results and Junior Results.
The Big Picture: Storylines We’re Watching in the 2026 ACC Season
After each race, we’ll return to our season-long storylines, checking in on the world’s best crit racers
America vs The Rest of the World:
Despite a completely different winner from a different team and different country, it was an international rider who took the win at the Tour of America’s Dairyland: George Jackson of New Zealand. After Dario Rapps won in Tulsa, the Kiwi beat Bourgoyne to win at ToAD, and the Americans are yet to find the top step of the podium in the ACC Pro Men’s race. More Kiwis and Australians traveled to Wisconsin for the Tour of America’s Dairyland, and there it was another Kiwi who topped Schneider in the sprint to the line. While the Americans lead the ACC Overall, the rest of the world has gotten the better of them in the individual races.
Youth vs Veterans:
After experience won out in Tulsa, youth has taken over following the Tour of America’s Dairyland. Bourgoyne and Schneider (25 and 27 years old) now lead the ACC Overall standings. Ian Williams has moved into 2nd Overall in the ACC Pro Men at 23 years old, while the 28 year-old Botha moved into second in the ACC Pro Women’s standings. Look for another swing in momentum at the Boise Twilight Criterium.
The Gravel-Crit Crossover
Races #2 and #3 of the American Criterium Cup come at a unique time in the race calendar. Following Unbound Gravel and SBT GRVL, most gravel pros are taking a mid-season break before returning to competition at the Leadville 100. That means most of them will head to altitude over the next few weeks for a big training block. While Boise lies at 2,700 feet above sea level, most riders will go much higher in an attempt to acclimate to the dizzying heights of Leadville. Few gravel racers were present at ToAD, and the same goes for Boise. Watch for a number of gravel pros to return to crit racing in the second half of the season, just in time for the finale of the American Criterium Cup.
The Overall Title:
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: consistency is key in the American Crit Cup. Both Schneider and Bourgoyne finished second at the Tour of America’s Dairyland, yet, they both lead the overall standings in the ACC. You don’t have to win every race to take home the red jersey. But you do have to show up and compete in each one. Being on the start line is Step 1. Finishing on the podium is Step 2. Watch for the overall contenders to race smartly in Boise, finding their way into the top five and moving up the ACC Overall Standings.