Saint Francis Tulsa Tough ACC Recap
Written by: Zach Nehr
With 200 meters to go in the Blue Dome Criterium, Skylar Schneider (L39ION of Los Angeles) was in fourth position, eating wind as Kendall Ryan (Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing) rounded the final corner. The US National Champion went all the way to barriers as Schneider wound up her final kick. Ryan launched her sprint as the drone whirred overhead, and with 30 meters to go, it looked like Ryan had it wrapped up. But in the most unbelievable fashion, Schneider accelerated again on the far side of the road, and threw her bike to beat Ryan by millimeters.
It was the closest finish ever in the history of the American Criterium Cup, and there couldn’t have been a better way to open the ACC season.
“I really didn’t believe it, it was so close in the end…I heard my mom screaming so that was the extra bike throw,” Schneider said after the race.
It was a chaotic final lap, to say the least, in stark contrast to the rest of the race which was controlled by Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing. The team of Ryan set a controlling pace for most of the race, sweeping through the eight-corner course in Tulsa’s Blue Dome District. On a night with mild temperatures and light winds, the field was unlikely to split. But that didn’t stop Schneider herself from attempting to break away after the Mid Race Prime.
In a season- long competition, the Mid Race Prime awarded points to the first three riders across the line near the midpoint of the women’s ACC opener. Yarely Salazar from Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing launched a massive sprint to earn maximum points. She will wear the green jersey in the next race of the series as the Davis Phinney Foundation Sprint Leader.
Just after the Mid Race Prime, Schneider kicked off a series of attacks that shook up the race and put pressure on Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing. Laurel Rathbun did the lion’s share of the work, both pulling back breakaways and bridging to them. With a few laps to go, the field was all together for a field sprint.
The bright red jerseys of Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing looked to have control, but then things started to unravel. Their leadout was too fast and too early, leaving Ryan stranded with a half lap to go and a hard-charging peloton behind her. The US National Champion fought to stay at the front, but she burned a few matches in the process. Ryan sprinted through the final corner in the lead, holding off Aline Seitz in second, but Schneider was coming in third. The pair threw their bikes and Schneider won by millimeters.
How was Schneider feeling during such a frantic finale? She wasn’t even thinking about winning. Instead, she was focused on doing damage control. “This was the night I was most worried about, minimizing the damage in the overall.” If there is one thing that’s clear about Schneider’s performance in Tulsa, it’s that she will be beaming with confidence going into the rest of the season.
RAPP REPEATS IN CRASH-MARRED FINALE
The men’s ACC opener began under the amber glow of the Oklahoma sun, but it wasn’t long before the peloton was flying through the darkness. Multiple teams were looking to attack throughout the race, and it was Ben Boroff (Velovit) who broke away to win the Mid Race Prime.
More attacks came and went, with a few dangerous groups making their way off the front. But as soon as the lap counter read 10 to go, a certain team came to control the front of the field.
Foundation New York came to the fore in the final few laps, maintaining the leading positions as the speed ramped up. It looked like the team of Bryan Gomez, Jordan Parra, and Marcos Mendez would have their way, but just like in the women’s race, it all came apart in the final lap.
With two corners to go, Lucas Bourgoyne (Team Cadence Cyclery pb Waldo Racing) and Rapps simultaneously launched their sprints on either side of Foundation New York’s leadout train. Mendez and Gomez were swamped as Bourgoyne and Rapps dove to the inside line. The pair collided, elbow to elbow at 35 mph, and Rapps nearly crashed as his heart rate must have reached almost 200 bpm. But the German stayed on his bike and led through the penultimate corner.
Bourgoyne lost momentum and Gomez was able to dive up his inside, but Rapp was gone. The DCC rider took a repeat win in the Blue Dome Crit, also taking the lead in the ACC Overall. Gomez crossed the line in second, while Rapps recovered from the swarm to finish third.
Rapps was ecstatic after the race, saying, “There was a lot of pressure on our shoulders, we came such a long way. And already…we felt that we can be at the very front. And now we are just so happy.”
DCC was fully committed to Rapps for the entire race, chasing down breakaway and setting him up for the final sprint. The German was incredibly thankful to his team, saying that they did a perfect job. “I didn’t have to go in the wind even one time, just the last 200 meters.”
As for the crowd in Tulsa, Rapps had this to say: “There is nothing in Germany that is nearly comparable to this. You are so crazy! How loud this crowd is cheering, this atmosphere, we are totally hooked.” The energy, fighting, drama, and action that the ACC delivers year in and year out, that is the spirit of American crit racing.
Published June 2026 | Saint Francis Tulsa Tough ACC Recap