CHICAGO GRIT Fulton Market Grand Prix ACC Preview
Written by: Zach Nehr
This might be the toughest race the ACC has to offer. After 10 consecutive days of racing in the heat of summer, Race #4 of the American Crit Cup comes to downtown Chicago for the Fulton Market Grand Prix. Riders have been traveling across the country – some of them across the world – to race the biggest crits in the world since early June.
After flying (or driving) out to Boise, the ACC contenders are back in the Midwest for CHICAGO GRIT, one of the biggest crit series in the world that has been held in Chicagoland neighborhoods since 2012. GRIT is 10 races in 10 days, spread across the suburbs before finishing in the heart of Chicago. Every course is different, every town brings its own crowd, and on Day 10, the stage is set for an epic finale in the Fulton Market District.
This is Race #4 of the American Criterium Cup, sponsored by Renaissance Financial. Four down, two to go, and there is a new leader in town.
This is the CHICAGO GRIT Fulton Market Grand Prix.
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Race #4 Preview: CHICAGO GRIT Fulton Market Grand Prix in Chicago, Illinois
ACC Race Day: July 26, 2026
Chicago, Illinois
Crit racing is one thing; 10 consecutive days of crit racing is another. You could call it the Tour de France of crit race, 10 days of action without a single rest day. Chicago Grit, presented by SRAM, has been building its reputation for over a decade, race by race, and neighborhood by neighborhood. It is Illinois' premier bike racing event, and one of the biggest criterium series in the world.
Like the Tour of America's Dairyland which hosted Race #2 of the ACC, GRIT draws hundreds of riders from around the world. The Chicagoland's communities are close to one another, both figuratively and literally, making Grit a summer staple for traveling crit racers. Teams arrive with different goals in mind, which adds a level of complexity and nuance to each race. Some riders chase individual victories, others chase the omnium points. But the biggest event of all – after the "Leg Breaker Hill" in West Dundee and roundabout in Mundelein — is the finale, Race #4 of the ACC at the Fulton Market Grand Prix.
The Course and Atmosphere – CHICAGO GRIT Fulton Market Grand Prix
Don’t be fooled. The profile on paper does little justice to the awesomeness of the Fulton Market Grand Prix. This is one of those races that you can feel in your bones. That’s because there is a train running directly above your head.
The Fulton Market Grand Prix takes place in downtown Chicago, right in the middle of a district packed with restaurants, nightlife, and summertime spectators. Co-hosted by Howard Orloff Volvo and xXx Racing, Day 10 of Chicago Grit kicks off with the Fulton Market Loop Da Loop 5K run at 8:00am, held on the same loop that the pros will race later in the afternoon.
The course itself is a flat 0.77-mile rectangle with two sets of back-to-back corners connecting two long straightaways. It is not technically complex on paper, but on the tenth consecutive day of racing, legs will be tired regardless of the course. The bone-rattling part of the loop is the backside straight which runs directly under the tracks of Chicago's famous "L," the elevated train that snakes its way throughout the city. It looks surreal as racers pass under the train tracks, moving even faster than the L on the long straightaway.
Coming out of the final corner, the finish line comes in front of SRAM's Chicago headquarters. It’s a course made for a nail-biting sprint and bike throw for the win. Two massive video boards show the race in real time, so no matter where you're standing — in the expo, at the beer garden, or up against the barriers — you'll never miss part of the action.
Being in downtown Chicago, the Fulton Market course has tight turns and narrow exits that keep the field stretched out for the majority of the race. The accordion effect is on full display, with the field squeezing together before each corner and accelerating into a line on each straightaway. Those repeated accelerations could open the door for a late breakaway, or we could see another big bunch sprint. The women's Pro 1/2 race starts at 2:45pm, with the men's Pro 1/2 following at 4:50pm. Both races are 75 minutes, both are live on the free ACC livestream.
Who Wins at the CHICAGO GRIT Fulton Market Grand Prix?
The Fulton Market course is one for the pure crit riders. There is hardly a foot of elevation change, and the tight corners and long straightaways favor an expert crit racer. While the best sprinter in the group usually prevails, breakaways have their chance on the final day of racing at Chicago Grit.
Two early leaders of this year’s ACC were winners at the Fulton Market Grand Prix a year ago. Kendall Ryan (Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing) won the bunch sprint in Chicago ahead of Aline Seitz (HigherDOSE | Renova) and Bryony Botha (Fearless Femme pb The Beasley Firm). Following in 4th and 5th were Claudia Marcks (Pedla Race Division) and Skylar Schneider (L39ION of Los Angeles), respectively.
All of these riders have the chance to win the Fulton Market Grand Prix in 2026, but you could certainly say that Skylar Schneider is the favorite. The Wisconsin native will be wearing the red jersey from MUMU Apparel as the Overall Leader of the ACC with 116 points. Seitz follows closely behind with 100 points, while Botha is a bit further back, but in a solid third place with 62 points. After skipping Race #3 in Boise, Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing will be looking to return to the ACC with a win in Chicago.
There is a new leader in the ACC in Justin Williams (L39ION of Los Angeles), who pulled on the red jersey from MUMU Apparel after finishing second in Boise. There will also be a new winner at the Fulton Market Grand Prix since last year’s winner is missing from the 2026 start sheet. The former leader of the ACC, Lucas Bourgoyne (Team Cadence Cyclery pb Waldo Racing) finished 5th in 2025 and is certainly one of the favorites in Chicago.
Chaney Windows and Doors Big Shark pb Pastaria and Velovit Elite are two more teams to watch, but perhaps the biggest wildcard is Whoosh - NZ Cycling Project. Dominators at the Tour of America’s Dairyland, the Kiwi squad will roll up to Chicago on a streak of race wins. They rarely have an out-and-out leader, but you can count on their kit to be blazing at the front in the final few laps.
The ACC Junior Series, supported by Renaissance Financial, continues in Chicago with the next generation of American crit racers chasing their own jerseys from MUMU Apparel.
Watch Chicago GRIT via the free ACC livestream
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What’s At Stake in the American Crit Cup
At the halfway point of the American Criterium Cup, the overall picture is becoming more clear. Justin Williams, Bourgoyne, and Ian Williams (Stellina Racing) are pulling away from the rest of the pack in the ACC Overall Standings. But the point gaps are tight, meaning that every race counts from Chicago to St. Louis. After Chicago, there will be only two stops remaining in the ACC: the Salt Lake Criterium, and The Bommarito Automotive Group Gateway Cup.
On the women's side, there looks to be a two rider race for the ACC Overall Title. Skylar Schneider has a 16-point lead over Seitz, but the HigherDOSE | Renova rider is right in the hunt. Seitz also sits third in the Davis Phinney Foundation Sprint Prime competition, while her teammate Andrea Cyr holds the lead. Kenna Pfeiffer (Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28) is only one point behind in the Sprint Classification, whose leader wears the green jersey from MUMU Apparel.
Owen Gillot (Chaney Windows and Doors Big Shark pb Pastaria) leads the Davis Phinney Foundation Sprint Prime competition in the Pro Men’s field, three points clear of Ben Boroff (Velovit Elite) who, like Seitz, is balancing objectives in both the Sprint and Overall Competitions. There are single-digit point gaps between each rider, which means that one win could flip the entire leaderboard upside down.
L39ION of Los Angeles holds the lead in both the Men’s and Women’s Team Classifications, but one battle is much closer than the other. After finishing 1-2 in Boise, L39ION of Los Angeles leads the Men’s Team GC by 142 points to Chaney Windows and Doors’ 114 points. But in the Women’s Team GC, only two points separate L39ION of Los Angeles from HigherDOSE | Renova, one of the closest team battles that we’ve ever seen in the ACC.
Opening the day of racing in Chicago 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 continues to lead the Junior Boys 15-16, but Joe Boroff has closed the gap significantly after a big win in Boise. Sonnemann leads Boroff by 20 points to 18.
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.
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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: The Boise Twilight Criterium was the first time this season that Americans took the top spot in both the Pro Men’s and Pro Women’s races. Skylar Schneider beat Seitz to the line, while Tyler Williams and Justin Williams (unrelated) went 1-2 in the men’s race. The New Zealanders have been strong throughout the ACC, and a full contingent will be present in Chicago for Race #4.
Youth vs Veterans: At 27 years old, Skylar Schneider continues to lead the ACC Overall standings ahead of Seitz and Botha who are both in their late 20s. But in the Pro Men’s ACC, Justin Williams is showing that experience pays off. The 37-year-old now leads the ACC Overall standings ahead of young guns Bourgoyne and Ian Williams.
The Multi-Discipline Crossover: While gravel pros joined the ACC for the early part of the season, there is a new contingent in town. Track cyclists and road pros from Australia and New Zealand have been dominating the American crit scene since the start of the Tour of America’s Dairyland. Riders like Claudia Marcks and Odette Lynch have taken huge primes and race wins throughout the Midwest. The Whoosh - NZ Cycling Project won more than half of the stages at ToAD, and they’re looking to do the same at Chicago GRIT in the Pro Men’s race.
The Overall Title: Never has it been more true than after the Boise Twilight Criterium: consistency is key in the American Crit Cup. While Schneider extended her lead in the ACC Overall Standings, Bourgoyne lost his lead and red jersey by missing Race #3. You can’t score any points if you're not on the start line, and multiple riders saw their overall chances crumble by missing Boise. Nearly all of the favorites return to the ACC in Chicago, which will set the stage for the penultimate round of racing in Salt Lake City. But first, 35-mph racing comes to the streets of downtown Chicago, with the L rumbling overhead.