CHICAGO GRIT Fulton Market Grand Prix ACC Recap
Written by: Zach Nehr
It was a hot and humid summer day in downtown Chicago when hundreds of cyclists from around the world rolled up to the start line. Some were here to sprint for the win, others were hoping to be in the breakaway, and many just wanted to finish the race. Chicago Grit had already featured nine days of racing before the Fulton Market Grand Prix, and this series finale was going to be the biggest race yet.
Some riders looked fresh as a daisy, while others were finally showing signs of fatigue after traveling across the world to come race in the American Criterium Cup. There were many riders sporting fresh bandages, their wounds still healing from a crash two days before. Cyclists are a tough bunch, and never has that been more evident than this summer when we watched the World Cup where players leave the field after getting kicked in the shin.
This was the CHICAGO GRIT Fulton Market Grand Prix, and everyone was here to win. The Junior Men, Junior Women, Pro Men, and Pro Women were all competing for top honors in the American Criterium Cup sponsored by Renaissance Financial. It was Race #4 of the six-race series, a pivotal moment after a major shake-up in the Men’s standings after Race #3 in Boise. The Pro Women were up first, and it was Skylar Schneider (L39ION of Los Angeles) wearing the red leader’s jersey from MUMU Apparel.
A breakaway of six made their way off the front not long into the Pro Women’s race. It was an incredibly dangerous move, one containing all of the major teams in the race: L39ION of Los Angeles, Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing, Fearless Femme p/b The Beasley Firm, and HigherDOSE | Renova. The break started pulling away from the pack, and soon they were nearly half a lap ahead of the peloton. In fact, the breakaway was off the front for so long that they took the points at the midrace sprint.
While Andrea Cyr (HigherDOSE | Renova) had been wearing the green jersey as leader of the Davis Phinney Foundation Sprint Prime competition, Holly Breck (L39ION of Los Angeles) moved into the sprint lead by winning the midrace ACC points prime in Chicago. It almost looked as if the break was going to lap the field, but suddenly, there was a major shift in the peloton.
Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing were no longer happy with the breakaway, so they began pulling on the front of the field to close the gap. It wasn’t long before the escapees were reeled back in, and by that time, there were only a few laps to go. Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing continued pulling on the front, but then it was L39ION’s turn to move up. Skylar Schneider had been sitting in for the entire race, saving as much energy as she could for the final sprint.
As the field rounded the final corner, it looked like Kendall Ryan (Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing) was in the driver’s seat. She had a teammate in front of her and a full head of steam, but just as she began to launch, Schneider and Paola Muñoz (Fearless Femme p/b The Beasley Firm) came alongside, and there was nearly a coming together with less than 200 meters to go. Schneider took the lead and was sprinting for the finish, and for a moment it looked like Ryan was coming back to her wheel. But the ACC leader held on for the win, extending her lead in the ACC Overall standings to 30 points. Aline Seitz (HigherDOSE | Renova) finished 4th at the Fulton Market Grand Prix, solidifying her second-place position in the ACC Overall Standings.
As the Pro Men rolled up to the start line, the deafening rumble of the “L” train overhead could easily be confused with the bumping bass and high-octane announcers at the Fulton Market Grand Prix. The hot-dog-style course was fitting for Chicago, with two long straights and hardly a foot of elevation change. Normally, you’d say that it’s not a good course for a breakaway. But that is exactly what happened in the ACC Pro Men’s race.
A solo rider made his way off the front and stayed there for more than 20 minutes, but it wasn’t meant to last. The field was too strong, and none of the big teams had made the move. So when things got welded back together, it wasn’t long until the Davis Phinney Foundation Sprint Prime. Chaney Windows and Doors Big Shark pb Pastaria had been dominating the season-long competition, and it was their rider Owen Gillot wearing the green leader’s jersey in Chicago. But in the end, Chaney Windows and Doors completely missed the move, and it was Ide Schelling (RNRNYC Racing p/b R1) who won the Davis Phinney Foundation Sprint Prime ahead of James Wilson (Whoosh - NZ Cycling Project). Schelling is a former WorldTour rider who raced the Tour de France in 2021, and now he is making his way into the crit and gravel scene.
The race reset, but it wasn’t long before another solo move occurred. This time it was Michael Garrison (Speedstudio p/b Basso) who broke away, earning a sizable gap with 20 minutes to go. That is a long way for a solo rider, especially with teams like Team Cadence Cyclery pb Waldo Racing, L39ION of Los Angeles, and Whoosh - NZ Cycling Project chasing you down.
As the laps went by, things were looking better and better for Garrison. He still had eight seconds with a few laps to go, but then there was a huge split at the front of the field. Only 12 riders made the move, including Lucas Bourgoyne and Cade Bickmore (Team Cadence Cyclery pb Waldo Racing), Sebastian Brenes Mata (Good Guys Racing NYC), Jim Brown, Cory Williams, and ACC Overall leader Justin Williams from L39ION of Los Angeles.
Cory Williams mowed down Garrison with less than one lap to go, but on the backside of the course, Team Cadence Cyclery pb Waldo Racing set up the leadout train under the actual train in Chicago. After so many days of missing out, Bourgoyne exploded up the side of the road and took a huge win at Chicago GRIT. Brown finished second, while the red jersey of Justin Williams finished 4th.
As the riders finished their cool down lap, the officials tallied the numbers from all four rounds of the ACC. In the end, Justin Williams retained the ACC lead by only two points: 108 to 106 ahead of Bourgoyne. Incredibly, Dylan Haynes (Boulder Junior Cycling) jumped all the way up to 3rd Overall, standing at 66 points at 18 years old. Gillot continues to lead the Davis Phinney Foundation Sprint Prime competition and will wear the leader’s green jersey into Round 5 at the Salt Lake Criterium.
After the finish, Bourgoyne was asked if he was worried about the two big breakaways: “Hell no. We have the best team in the country, the fastest team in the sprint, so when they let me do my thing, we fly, baby.”
“Lately I’ve been really struggling, managing the team, doing the logistics…and I have an incredible team behind me that’s doing double and triple time to make this thing happen. It is these days right here that make all of it worth it.”