This Saturday marks the beginning of the US’ newest national series, the American Criterium Cup. Coming together in the wake of the USACrits’ disintegration, it is a 10 race series made up of crits across the country, offering a $100,000 payout at the end of the season.
While we may have previewed the men’s race first (which you can find by clicking here) it is the women that will be getting this two-wheeled party rolling Saturday night in Anniston, Alabama for the Sunny King Criterium and the first ever round of the American Criterium Cup.
The Course
As a quick refresher if you missed it yesterday, the course is… a rectangle. A four-corner, 3 x 1; it has a long, steady drag up to the line, followed by a gradual downhill from corner 1 through to corner 3. As is always the case with crits, the name of the game will be momentum conservation coming into turns 3 and 4, and making the most of your speed in the sprint to the finish.
Last Year
The 19th edition of Sunny King was - there is no getting around it - small, with just 28 entries. But, as we all know, small crits are sometimes the hardest, with fewer wheels to fall back on when things get spicy. The race was mostly dominated by sprinters. Olivia Ray was the sole rider in the field for Rally racing, but it was hard to tell as she was seemingly everywhere all the time, taking more than most of the mid-race primes, of which there were many. But, at the end of the day, it was Dynamic Crit Duo, formerly of Instafund Racing, Rachel Langdon and Harriet Owen, that we saw take to the front. With Olivia seemingly stuck mid-pack, Harriet was first out of the final turn, taking the long dragging sprint by a few bike lengths.
While 2021 was dominated by individuals, this year is shaping up to be much different with many teams sending 4 or more riders to the circuit in Downtown Anniston. Who will be dominating the race this year? I can hear you wondering. Bit of a silly question, really. There is no way to tell. But, I will at least tell you who to keep an eye out for.
The Teams
With 40 women entered for Saturday’s race, I would not exactly call it a big race in terms of numbers. But, again, with many teams having four or more riders, it is bound to be a more dynamic and tactical race than we saw last year.
L39ion of Los Angeles
Man, if L39ion was not a family affair before, it sure is now. Over the offseason, the women of L39ion added Sam Schneider (sister to Skylar) and Alexis Ryan (yep, you guessed it, sister to National Criterium Champion Kendall) to the roster. Both of whom have palmares as deep as anyone on the US circuit. The four sisters have already opened up their season account, taking an impressive 1-2-3-4 win at the early season Birmingham Hammerfest. They will be joined by Mexican star Julyn Aguila, rounding out a five-some that looks capable and ready for whatever the race can throw at them. Be it an attack heavy race, or something that comes down to a bunch sprint, they have got a rider for any scenario.
DNA Pro Cycling
DNA looks to think that they will be able to get the job done with just a 4-rider squad and, looking at those riders, it is hard to argue with them. DNA is led by Track Champions League winner and juggling aficionado Maggie Coles-Lyster, who will be backed up by her right-hand woman, Kimberly Lucie, newly crowned Columbian Road Race Champion, Diana Penuela, and new signing, Kaitlyn Rauwerda. They are off to a hot start to the season, taking big race wins in stages 2 and 3 of the Tucson Bicycle Classic. Specifically, Stage 3 had a finish very similar to what they will be facing Saturday night. MCL is also one of the few riders who was able to get the better of Kendall in a sprint last year, and her sprint train looking dialed in… well, let us just say you should not be surprised if you see them working to make sure the finish comes down to a sprint.
ButcherBox Cycling p/b Look
In many ways, the new Look 785 that the women of ButcherBox Cycling will be racing on this year is the perfect bike for them. Aero, fast, aggressive. It will be a tool with which they wreak havoc on the crit course. ButcherBox was regularly one of the most aggressive teams on the circuit in 2021, primarily led by the shark-brained Paige Kostanecki (RE: Shark Brained). She will be joined by returning ButcherBox-ians Rachel Plessing and Andrea Buttine, and former Fearless Femme (though, still fearless as far as we can tell) Andrea Cyr. They have been one of the busier teams in the off-season, spending loads of time in the gym, and, more recently, putting in some seriously big hours at their team camp down in Florida. The combo of the two is sure to benefit their already attacking style of racing, and make them even more dangerous when it comes down the the closing laps. I would expect that, if there is a break up the road, you are guaranteed to see a BB in it. Hell, they probably started it.
There are undoubtedly racers and teams that I have missed here, most notably CWA Racing p/b Goldman Sachs ETFs who are bringing a full squad of 6 racers. The truth is, it is the first race of the series, and while many have already raced this season, many more have not. So, while those who I have mentioned here are safe bets to be at the front of the race, the excitement will come from anyone who is there at the end, fighting their way to a good result, and a nice start to the season.
Other Storylines
The big question on our minds here at The Chronicle is: which riders and which teams will commit to racing the full 10-race schedule? With a $100,000 purse promised at the end of the year, the potential to have your efforts rewarded is massive…but at what cost? Flying 6 racers out to race locations, paying for race entry, housing, and, oh dear god, food?!? That is a huge toll on a team’s budget with nothing guaranteed. But, I think if you ask most racers, they are up for it: the travel and sacrifice, and the racing all in the name of putting on a show. With that said, it is my hope that we get teams and racers able to show up and compete at all 10 stops, that we have a race for the Jersey(s) that does not just come down to who was able to make the race that weekend, but to who has the grit, stamina, speed, and luck to claim it for themselves and their teams.
The Livestream
We reported yesterday that you would be able to catch the Sunny King Criterium live on the American Criterium Cup website. It was also announced later yesterday, that you will be able to find live and on-demand video of all 10 stops of the Crit Cup on VeloNews, Peloton Magazine, AND CyclingTips. Which is just *chef’s kiss* wonderful news. You can find the link to that article there → HERE
Well gang, it looks like we have got an exciting year of racing bikes ahead of us. And I, for one, absolutely cannot wait to get things going Saturday night in Anniston. And if you want to make sure you do not miss any of the action all year, be sure to subscribe right here, to the Criterium Nation Chronicle. Good luck out there.