Salt Lake Criterium ACC Recap
Written by: Zach Nehr
As the evening glow descended over the Rocky Mountains, the fastest crit racers in the world lined up for the Mayer Brown Criterium in Salt Lake City. It was the penultimate round of the American Criterium Cup, and the location was fitting for the riders who would be covered in salt stains after 70 minutes of racing.
The Mayer Brown Criterium is one of the most unique crits in the country, and that’s because of its new course design for 2026. The 870-meter loop is a simple square, one block at a time, at speeds approaching 40 mph. That meant the finish line was less than 200 meters from the final corner, the typical launch point for a criterium sprinter.
“I knew if you win the last turn here, you probably win the race,” said Aline Seitz, the Swiss rider on HigherDOSE | Renova who was sitting second overall in the ACC heading into Salt Lake. Skylar Schneider (L39ION of Los Angeles) was wearing the red leader’s jersey from MUMU Apparel, signifying her status as the overall leader of the ACC sponsored by Renaissance Financial. Schneider was on a winning streak, but there was more than one rider hot on her heels.
Seitz had earned multiple podiums this season, and so had Claudia Marcks (Pedla Racing Division) who won the ACC race at the Tour of America’s Dairyland. Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing has often been a force to be reckoned with in the ACC, but they only brought a small squad to Utah for Race #5. That left the door cracked open for a new winner in the ACC, perhaps someone who has been close all season, but never found the top step of the podium.
Like so many rounds of the American Crit Cup sponsored by Renaissance Financial, there were primes galore in Salt Lake City. Marcks was one of the biggest winners on the night, snagging a $500 at one point during the race. She also earned a number of points in the Davis Phinney Foundation Sprint Prime, enough to move her into second overall in the competition. Holly Breck (L39ION of Los Angeles) continues to lead the Sprint Prime classification, and wears the leader’s green jersey from MUMU Apparel.
As the laps wound down and sun continued to set, the breakaways were caught, and it was looking like the Pro Women’s race would come down to a field sprint. As Seitz alluded to, positioning was key on the final lap. So, with one lap to go, Skylar Schneider was sitting in second wheel. It was seemingly the perfect position for a tight and technical course, but then, a swarm came up the outside. Suddenly, Schneider had dropped a number of positions with one corner to go, and it was Seitz who sprinted up to the front. Marcks tried to come around the outside, but the Australian’s wheel slipped out from under her, only to catch the pavement a millisecond later.
Schneider had momentum on the inside of the final corner, but Seitz was already sprinting towards the finish. After so many near misses this season, Seitz took a massive win ahead of Schneider and Marlies Mejias Garcia (Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28).
Seitz closed the gap to the ACC leader, but Schneider still has a 26-point lead in the overall standings with one race to go. With 40 points on offer for the win in St. Louis, Seitz still has a chance to usurp Schneider for the red jersey. Despite nearly crashing in the final corner, Marcks finished with enough points to move up to third in the ACC Overall standings.
The battle for the red jersey had been even closer in the Pro Men’s peloton, but that was only until Lucas Bourgoyne (Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Waldo Racing) underwent surgery to have his appendix removed. That meant Bourgoyne couldn’t make it to the start of the Mayer Brown Criterium, making Justin Williams the heavy favorite for the ACC Overall.
Salt Lake City’s 870-meter course was the shortest on the ACC calendar. It was almost perfect for a breakaway, with a bit of elevation change in addition to the tight corners. A few breakaways had threatened to win a stage of the ACC, but none of them had made a long-range effort stick to the finish.
A number of strong teams were present at the Mayer Brown Criterium, including L39ION of Los Angeles, Foundation Cycling New York, Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Waldo Racing, and Chaney Windows and Doors Big Shark pb Pastaria. The last team on that list had multiple objectives coming into SLC. Going for the race win was of course a priority, but even more important was retaining the green jersey as leader of the Davis Phinney Foundation Sprint Prime competition.
Halfway through the Pro Men’s race, Chaney Windows and Doors came to the front to go for the sprint prime. The green leader’s jersey of Owen Gillott rounded the final corner first, and that’s where he would cross the line to take maximum points in the Davis Phinney Foundation Sprint Prime competition.
Gillott now has the sprint jersey almost entirely locked up, holding a seven-point lead over Danny Summerhill (Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Waldo Racing) with one round of the ACC to go. The Chaney Windows and Doors rider only needs to finish in the top three of the sprint prime at the Gateway Cup to secure the green jersey from MUMU Apparel.
Once the dust settled, the race reset for a spicy finale in Salt Lake City. Breakaways came and went, but like every other round of the ACC, nothing would stick. With a few laps to go, it was looking like we were going to be treated to another field sprint.
Justin Williams had the red leader’s jersey from MUMU Apparel as his team took to the front. The laps ticked by in 1:06, 1:05, and 1:04. With a few laps to go, the field accelerated and began clocking sub-minute lap times. At an average speed of 33 mph, Foundation Cycling New York came to the front for their leader, Jordan Parra. But then, there was a shift in momentum.
On the final lap, L39ION of Los Angeles looked to have set the table perfectly for Williams, who slotted into third wheel with half a lap to go. But then, Preston Eye (Clif Family Drifters Cycling) came bursting up the inside, infiltrating L39ION’s leadout train with only a few corners to go. But Williams fought back, and coming out of the final corner, the red jersey went clear to take the win. Eye finished second, with Jordan Parra rounding out the podium in third.
The win extended Justin Williams’ overall lead to 42 points over Bourgoyne, with Ian Williams (Stellina Racing) holding strong in third. Eye moved up to fourth overall, while L39ION of Los Angeles continue to lead the ACC Team Standings ahead of Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Waldo Racing. L39ION also leads the Women’s ACC Team standings, a full 100 points clear of HigherDOSE | Renova in second. Here is what Justin Williams had to say after the Mayer Brown Criterium: “This is the biggest win of the year, and I feel like it’s been coming… Sometimes you’ve just gotta have perseverance in cycling, sometimes you’re good sometimes you’re not good. But man it feels so good when you’re good.”
“We figured today the course was so technical and tight…so if we ride together, it’s gonna be a lot easier,” Williams said after the race. “A team that rides together can do amazing things,” and never was that on better display than Round 5 of the American Criterium Cup in Salt Lake City.