Bommarito Audi West County Gateway Cup ACC Preview
Written by: Zach Nehr
On June 5th, 2026, hundreds of crit racers from around the world lined up at Saint Francis Tulsa Tough for the first round of the American Criterium Cup. One of the winners from that night has held onto the red leader’s jersey for months, while the other has changed hands from Oklahoma to Wisconsin, then Boise to Chicago and on to Utah.
Three months later, the final round of the American Crit Cup is on the horizon, taking place in an Italian-American neighborhood in southwest St. Louis. The Giro Della Montagna will decide the overall champions of the ACC across six categories including the Juniors and the Pros.
Every great series deserves a great finish, and The Hill promises to deliver at the Giro Della Montagna. This is Race #6 of the American Criterium Cup, sponsored by Renaissance Financial. After this, there are no more do-overs, no more sprint primes, and no other opportunities until 2027.
This is the Giro Della Montagna in St. Louis, Missouri.
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Race #6 Preview: Giro Della Montagna in St. Louis
ACC Race Day: September 6, 2026
St. Louis, Missouri
The Bommarito Audi West County Gateway Cup is the traditional season’s end for many North American bike racers. After a long season stretching from April through August, Labor Day Weekend is a common end point as riders transition to the off-season or other disciplines like cyclocross. Some of the ACC competitors have been racing for even longer, with many Californian racers beginning as early as January. That stretches the season into multiple phases, with the Bommarito Audi West County Gateway Cup being the ultimate finale for many.
Racing in September is a bit like going back for a second piece of pumpkin pie after Thanksgiving dinner. You filled your plate up with everything you could possibly eat from April through July. That was the main course, filled with multiple top-tier offerings, with dessert coming up next. August was the first piece of pie, something that you could enjoy but became difficult to force down after a gut-stuffing meal. Racing in September is like going back for seconds. You’re already stuffed, and it will take more mental fortitude than physical effort to power through this last piece of the pie.
By the end of the summer, the fatigue is real for the ACC riders, not just from racing but also from travel, logistics, and the heat. Once Labor Day Weekend rolls around, most bike racers are running on fumes. There isn’t much left in the tank, but there is one final opportunity to make a statement and win one of the biggest races in the country.
The Bommarito Audi West County Gateway Cup has been part of the American cycling calendar since the late 1980s. Composed of four days of racing over Labor Day weekend, it quickly became one of the most beloved criterium events in the country. The Giro Della Montagna itself dates to 1986, and it was created by Joe Torrisi, a lifelong resident of The Hill, the Italian-American neighborhood in southwest St. Louis that has served as the race's home ever since.
The Hill is not your everyday race venue – it is one of the most tightly knit neighborhoods in the Midwest, anchored by the St. Ambrose Catholic Church which lies at the start and finish of the Giro Della Montagna. Italian restaurants, bakeries, groceries, and homes line the streets in the neighborhood that has welcomed the Gateway Cup for over four decades.
The Course – Giro Della Montagna in St. Louis
As you may have guessed, the neighborhood called The Hill has quite a bit of elevation change. That means the Giro Della Montagna is arguably the toughest course on the entire ACC calendar. Almost every ACC round has been flat, all the way from Boise and Salt Lake City, to Milwaukee and Chicago. The Hill is different.
The Giro Della Montagna’s course is long and rectangular, with the uphill section being from Turn 2 to Turn 3. This is typically where the race is decided – splits occur, gaps are formed, and riders are left gasping for air instead of sprinting for the win. The riders who can push the hardest up that climb, lap after lap for 70 minutes, are the ones who will find themselves at the front when it matters.
Don’t forget that what goes up must come down, and you’ll see exactly that between Turns 3 and 4 and the finish. The Giro Della Montagna features a downhill sprint unlike anything we’ve seen so far in the ACC. At such high speeds, positioning on the final lap is absolutely critical. Get it wrong and you'll be launching your sprint while the winner has already crossed the finish line. Get it right, and you have a chance at over a thousand dollars in prize money.
We have yet to see a major breakaway win in the ACC, but The Hill is built for escapees. Up next: who wins in St. Louis? Watch for results on the ACC website.
The final round of the ACC begins in front of St. Ambrose Church, with the Women's Pro 1/2 going off at 4:10pm, and the Men's Pro 1 at 5:40pm. Both races run 70 minutes and will be livestreamed for free on the Gateway Cup website.
Who Wins at the Giro Della Montagna?
The Hill changes everything, not only because of the downhill sprint, but because of the overall difficulty of the race. Pure sprinters have had their opportunities in the ACC, but the Giro Della Montagna could offer something entirely different. Over 70 minutes of racing, the repeated efforts up The Hill will wear down riders one-by-one. As the saying goes, only the strongest survive, and that’s just the bare minimum to make the front group.
Winning the race is a completely different question, one of tactics, positioning, teammates, and mental strength. A downhill sprint is tricky because you have to be up front early. Sprinting from 15th wheel is not an option, but you also don’t want to lead out your opponents by launching too early. A multi-rider leadout is the easiest way to win the Giro Della Montagna, a strategy that allows you to sprint from an upfront position while still having one or two teammates ahead of you for the final leadout.
Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing will certainly try to take the race by the horns, likely with the goal of delivering Kendall Ryan to the win. Laurel Rathbun is a strong breakaway threat, as well as Yarely Salazar. Their biggest opponent will be Skylar Schneider (L39ION of Los Angeles), the current leader of the ACC who will wear the red leader’s jersey from MUMU Apparel. But watch out for Aline Seitz (HigherDOSE | Renova), winner of Race #5 of the ACC in Salt Lake City. The Swiss rider has been consistent all season, and is certainly coming into form at the right time to sprint for the win in St. Louis. Other notable names include Paola Muñoz, Veronica Church, and Claudia Marcks, the riders who sit in 3rd, 4th, and 5th, respectively, in the ACC Overall standings.
In the Pro Men's race, Justin Williams (L39ION of Los Angeles) arrives as race favorite after a strong win in Salt Lake City. The L39ION of Los Angeles is just coming off the Philadelphia Cycling Classic p/b AmeriGas, while second place in the ACC Overall standings, Lucas Bourgoyne (Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Waldo Racing) is in a completely different spot. Bourgoyne had his appendix removed a few weeks ago, and he has only just returned to training this week. It’s unlikely that Bourgoyne will be able to race the Giro Della Montagna, but there are plenty of other challengers to the L39ION of Los Angeles leadout train.
Ian Williams (Stellina Racing) is quiet, consistent, and always dangerous, while Preston Eye (Clif Family Drifters Cycling) is making a late season surge to move up to fourth overall after Salt Lake City. Sebastian Brenes-Mata (Good Guys Racing NYC) is the kind of rider who materializes out of thin air in the final 300 meters, and that is the kind of savvy sprinter that could win on the downhill in St. Louis.
The ACC Junior Series, supported by Renaissance Financial, also wraps up its 2026 season at the Gateway Cup. Eight jerseys from MUMU Apparel across four categories are on the line, with some classifications separated by single digits heading into the final round. The ACC Junior races kick off at 10:45am CDT on September 6th.
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What’s At Stake in the American Crit Cup
After five of six rounds in the American Crit Cup, the overall classifications are clearer than ever. But anything can happen in bike racing, and the leader’s jerseys are still mathematically in play across multiple categories.
The women's title is still a two-rider race between Skylar Schneider and Aline Seitz, with Marcks, Church, and Muñoz in a three-way battle for the podium. Schneider leads Seitz by 26 points, a healthy gap with one race to go, but well within reach when there are 40 points available for the race winner. Marcks sits in third overall with 88 total points, while Church is in fourth with 85 points, and Muñoz rounds out the top five with 79 points.
The Davis Phinney Foundation Sprint Prime competition is completely up for grabs with so many points available on the line in St. Louis. 8, 7, and 6 points are available for the first three riders across the line, which means it will be a tight battle for Holly Breck (L39ION of Los Angeles) who leads the competition with only 12 points. Marcks follows in second with 7 points, while Andrea Cyr (HigherDOSE | Renova) sits in third with 6 points. Following the midrace sprint at the Giro Della Montagna, the rider with the most prime points across the ACC season will take home the green jersey from MUMU Apparel as winner of the Davis Phinney Foundation Sprint Prime competition.
Owen Gillot (Chaney Windows and Doors Big Shark pb Pastaria) has worn the green jersey in every Pro Men’s race this season, but he still needs to close out the Davis Phinney Foundation Sprint Prime competition with one more sprint. Gillot leads the standings by 7 points ahead of Danny Summerhill (Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Waldo Racing), while Ben Boroff (Velovit Elite) rounds out the podium in third with 7 points.
Of all the MUMU Apparel leader’s jerseys in the American Crit Cup, Justin Williams’ red jersey is perhaps the most comfortable going into the Giro Della Montagna. Williams has a 42-point lead over Bourgoyne who is unlikely to start, and a 56-point lead over Ian Williams (Stellina Racing). Eye is only three points behind Ian Williams in the overall standings, while 18-year-old Dylan Haynes (Boulder Junior Cycling) is still holding onto fifth overall.
Perhaps the tightest battle that will be decided at the Giro Della Montagna is the Men’s ACC Team competition where L39ION of Los Angeles is only 15 points ahead of Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Waldo Racing, and 29 points ahead of Chaney Windows and Doors Big Shark pb Pastaria. Any sort of slip up here and a new team could stand atop the Men’s ACC Team podium.
It’s a much different story in the Women’s ACC Team standings with L39ION of Los Angeles a full 100 points clear of HigherDOSE | Renova. The complete domination of L39ION of Los Angeles has been impressive to say the least, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to take their foot off the gas in St. Louis.
But before the Pro Men’s and Pro Women’s races, the ACC Junior competition opens the day of racing at the Giro Della Montagna. Sponsored by Renaissance Financial, the ACC Juniors will compete for eight jerseys from MUMU Apparel across four categories. Three out of four categories are yet to be decided, with only Finnley Sonnemann (CXD Trek Bikes) having wrapped up the Junior Boys 15-16 with 34 points.
Aiden Wyant (Cura Racing) took the red jersey off the back of Jackson Clary (Cleveland Cycling Academy) in the Junior Boys 17-18 series in Salt Lake City, and it’s Wyant who will be looking to defend his 8-point lead in St. Louis.
The Junior Girls 17-18 are led by Tessa Beebe (BYRDS Cycling) who has 18 series points, with Isabella Kroutil (TWENTY28 Aevolo) close behind with 15 points. Adeline Hamilton (Boulder Junior Cycling) picked up another point to tie Kroutil in the overall standings, with all three riders with a chance of taking home the red jersey at the Giro Della Montagna. Rounding out the ACC Juniors is the Junior Girls 15-16 series, led by Bristol Albright (Fount Cycling Guild) who has 17 points. Camille Culbertson (TWENTY28 Aevolo) sits in second with 11 points, while Lilliana O’Donnell (Competitive Edge Racing) rounds out the podium with 10 points.
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 pendulum has swung back and forth all season, with Americans and international riders trading wins in each round of the American Crit Cup. Despite Skylar Schneider’s season-long consistency, Seitz finally beat her to the line in Salt Lake City, the first ACC win for the Swiss rider this season. The Australian Claudia Marcks has a good chance of finishing on the ACC Overall podium, while the Chilean rider Muñoz could also finish in the top 5. After a host of New Zealanders swarmed the Pro Men’s races this summer, the Americans retook control in Salt Lake City, and will look to do the same in St. Louis. The entire top 5 of the ACC Pro Men’s standings is made up of American riders, but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t see a surprise win from a rider like Sebastian Brenes-Mata at the Giro Della Montagna.
Youth vs Veterans: 18-year-old Dylan Haynes is holding onto a top 5 in the ACC Pro Men's overall standings, while the series-leading Justin Williams is 37 years old. That 19-year age gap is larger than you see in most professional sports, and it is one of the things that makes the American Crit Cup so special. The same goes for Paola Muñoz who, at 40 years old, is aiming to finish on the podium of the ACC Pro Women's overall standings. Muñoz even raced alongside her daughter at Chicago GRIT, and she looks to be peaking at the perfect time to close out the ACC.
The Multi-Discipline Crossover: Gravel pros, track stars, and mountain bike shredders have not only lined up at this year’s American Crit Cup, but they have been competing for the win. Multi-discipline rider Michael Garrison nearly stole the show with a solo move at Chicago GRIT, while off-road pro Matthew Wilson took a surprise win at one of the non-ACC days of Tulsa Tough. A number of off-road riders are coming off an altitude training block for the Leadville 100, which means we could see some new names on the start line in St. Louis.
The Overall Title: If there is anything we have learned from watching cycling, it’s that anything can happen – any race, any moment, any rider, and any time. While the gaps in the ACC Overall standings look significant, these riders are only one chain-drop away from losing it all. A simple mechanical or ill-timed bump on the final lap could mean the difference between finishing 1st or 40th, and that has the potential to flip the overall standings on their head.