For the most part, top-level American criterium racing takes the less beaten path in its locations around the United States. College towns, up-and-coming cities, and suburban environments are staples of the scene as race promoters look for communities receptive to American cycling’s particular brand of “rock and roll.”
Along the American Criterium Cup, we’ve seen many of these environments. From Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Boise, Idaho, the calendar has found temporary homes across countless cities, each with its quirks and intrigue. Yet, this week, things take on yet another feeling as it takes on the third biggest city in the country with its stop on the Chicago Grit series.
Chicago Grit, formerly the Intelligentsia Cup, is Illinois’ premier bike racing series with 10 days of racing across Chicagoland. Like the Tour of America’s Dairyland, Grit brings in riders from across the country and around the world to put on some of the very biggest criterium fields all year as racers enjoy the proximity between races, the extracurriculars around the Chicago area, and reliably fast racing.
To make matters all the more exciting, the ACC day in Chicago is the final day of racing around Chicago and ventures right to the core of the city at Fulton Market, with the back stretch of the course running underneath the elevated train tracks of the Chicago L and the finishing stretch runs right in front of SRAM’s Chicago HQ.
On paper, the Fulton Market course is one of the more basic courses in the Chicago Grit line-up, but last year the racing was anything but basic. As the old cycling proverb goes – the racers are who make the race, not the course. With four stops done and dusted and two races to go, the American Crit Cup will certainly supply the racers capable of making the race a thrill. Points are to play for, money is on the line, and the intensity keeps growing as the road season begins its twilight.
Where does the Fulton Market Criterium take place? The Fulton Market Criterium takes place in the Fulton Market Neighbourhood that sits just outside of downtown Chicago.
What is the date and time of the event? Both races will take place on Sunday, July 27th with the women starting their 75-minute race at 3:30 PM Central Time and the men following with their 75-minute race at 4:55 pm Central Time.
What are the course attributes? The Fulton Market criterium is a flat 0.77-mile rectangular loop with two sets of tight back to back corners in between two long straightaways.
Who won the event in 2024? Kendall Ryan and Ben Oliver took wins at the 2024 Fulton Market Criterium.
Fulton Market will be making its first appearance on the American Crit Cup after Lake Bluff served as the ACC event for the previous three seasons, and will once again serve as the crown jewel of the ten days of racing in and around the Windy City. While Lake Bluff is the consummate Grit course, with ten days of racing filled with unique courses filled with unconventional twists, turns, and small changes in elevation, Fulton Market is more in line with the other ACC courses as a flat and fast romp through an urban center.
Like the race’s spiritual sibling up the shore of Lake Michigan at Downer Avenue and the Tour of America’s Dairyland, Fulton Market will be one for the powerful athletes, regardless of if it finishes with a big bunch kick or a breakaway. The course is an elongated rectangle with two sets of tight turns and two long straightaways. With tight exits to two of the turns, there will be enough change of pace to stress the peloton and force two major sprints per lap as riders jockey for positions, attack, and avoid getting spat off the back.
While this won’t yield a breakaway early, this can certainly be the recipe for a late breaking attack or a dominant leadout to use the course and shred the final few laps of the two 70-minute races.
At Chicago Grit, all eyes will be on a truly fascinating four way battle of the Titans forming for the men’s ACC overall title. While there are others with a real shot of winning the race, Maurice Ballerstedt, Brody McDonald, Danny Summerhill, and Lucas Bourgoyne will be the four to watch as they all are in a close fight for the remaining points of the season-long battle.
Maurice Ballerstedt is the leader in the clubhouse with a five point lead over McDonald. The German sprinter has been the most consistent of all the contenders but has yet to secure a win in the series. If he were to take first in Chicago, that would go a long way to bolster his lead in the standings and be the feather in his cap he is lacking in his first full season racing American crits.
- Maurice Ballerstedt — Rose Bikes — 121 points
- Brody McDonald — Golden State Blazers — 116
- Danny Summerhill — L39ion of Los Angeles — 114
- Lucas Bourgoyne — Cadence Cyclery — 110
- Dusan Kalaba — Parks Law Firm All Stars — 98
- Luke Fetzer — Cadence Cyclery — 51
- Tim Smith — Chaney Windows and Doors Pasteria — 49
- Dario Rapps — DCC — 40
- Ben Oliver — MitoQ New Zealand Cycling Project — 40
- Nolan Church — Above and Beyond Cancer — 38
Nevertheless, the challenges will come from all sides at Fulton Market as the second place rider in the standings will finally have some team support. Brody McDonald will have the help of the likes of Tyler Williams from his Golden State Blazers team who has been returning from injury this summer and showed his strength with a win Tuesday in Chicago. Having a strong experienced teammate will be huge for McDonald who has had to scrap and claw his way into position at these sprinter friendly courses despite not being a pure sprinter.
The same could be said for Danny Summerhill who will also be looking at Chicago as a new opportunity for points as he too will have more teammates than the past few stops with Alec Cowan and Robin Carpenter ready to put their shoulders to the wheel to set up Summerhill for an ACC result.
The one team which will have the same firepower that has worked all season is Cadence Cyclery and Lucas Bourgoyne. Bourgoyne may be the face of the team and their best rider in the ACC thus far, but the team has proved to be much more than just the Texan sprinter. Case and point was Luke Fetzer taking an emphatic win in Boise, stealing the show from the sprinters on a true sprinters course. Add in Richard Holec, who is currently leading the Chicago Grit omnium, and all arrows point to Cadence as the favorites in Chicago.
On the women’s side, the ACC standings are a bit more settled with Aline Seitz (UTC Butcherbox) in a comfortable lead in the individual standings while Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty28 is in command of the ACC teams classification.
- Aline Seitz — UTC Butcherbox Cycling — 124 points
- Andrea Cyr — Fount Cycling Guild — 110
- Makayla MacPherson — CCB p/b Levine Law — 82
- Rylee McMullen — Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty28 — 81
- Kendall Ryan — L39ion of Los Angeles — 70
- Odette Lynch — Fearless Femme Racing — 66
- Marlies Mejias — Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty28 — 64
- Arielle Verhaaren — Automatic Racing — 56
- Sofia Arreola — Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty28 — 40
- Isla Carr — UTC Butcherbox Cycling — 40
Nevertheless, Fulton Market is set for an exciting race as Kendall Ryan is returning to the ACC circuit and all the ACC characters continue to show their quality week after week. Ryan is the favorite, with Holly Breck and Laurel Rathburn making up a strong duo of L39ion of Los Angeles riders backing Ryan, but Seitz, Andrea Cyr (Fount Cycling Guild), and Rylee McMullen (Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty28) will all be strong contenders.
What’s more, there is room for a surprise, whether it is from former ACC champion Paola Munoz and Odette Lynch from Fearless Femme Racing, Elizabeth Dixon (Fount Cycling Guild), Olivia Cummings (Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty28), Samantha Schneider (Golden State Blazers), and Peta Mullens (Liv SRAM Tango Racing).
The big push and pull of the race will be the attackers versus the L39ion leadout. L39ion has the onus to chase with Ryan sitting as the dominant sprinter on the American circuit this season. If everyone goes to the line together, chances are she wins. Yet, there are many who can challenge that status quo and you should expect the attacks to come thick and fast to resist that final outcome.
Photo credit: Chicago Grit
