LHM|CC Utah Crits is the second stop on this year’s American Criterium Cup calendar and is set to bring the best criterium racers in the country back to the Salt Lake area. Formerly called the Salt Lake Criterium, Utah Crits is set to bring the same fast racing, a new course and an ever-changing cast of characters bring professional racing back to the Beehive state once again.
The race began in 2019 as a built-for-pro racing event bringing criterium back to the heart of Salt Lake. At the time, the Tour of Utah was an institution on the UCI calendar and looked set to continue to be a premier cycling event in the United States. With that energy at its back, the Salt Lake Crit was a convenient companion event, plugging into the enthusiasm a large UCI stage race can bring to a cycling community.
Fast forward five years and the pro cycling landscape in Utah has changed dramatically. In 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic and a change in investments spelled the end of the Tour of Utah which left a massive vacuum in Utah’s calendar despite the enthusiasm and success of the events that had called the state home. Fortunately, the Salt Lake Criterium was there to help fill the void with the two-day series returning post-pandemic in 2021 and growing on what started in 2019 with strong courses and live-streaming for the professional events.
As a race that has always been geared towards the professional fields, both the men’s and women’s races will be broadcast live on the Utah Crits YouTube channel. The live stream, which is free to watch, will allow cycling fans the chance to delve into the tactics and intrigue of American criterium racing one a day that should provide a unique spectacle if the previous ACC races are anything to go off of.
Where does the race take place? The ACC race at the Utah Crits weekend takes place in the Salt Lake suburb of Sandy, Utah around the Sandy Promenade Mall.
What is the date and time of the event? Both of the races will take place on Saturday, June 14 with the 70-minute women’s pro race starting at 5:30 PM mountain time while the men’s 70-minute race begins at 6:50 PM.
What are the course attributes? The new course for the Utah Crits stop on the ACC calendar is a flat 1.2-mile, six-turn, ‘L’ shaped course around the Sandy Promenade Park
How many editions of race have taken place? Utah Crits began in 2019 and will celebrate its sixth edition this summer.
Who won the event in 2024? This is the first edition of the race at the new course, however, Kendall Ryan and Ulysses Castillo won the ACC race at Utah Crits in 2024.
In its short life span, LHM|CC Utah Crits continues to innovate and look for ways to elevate its status and prestige as a part of the premier criterium series in the US.
This year, the race is trying out a brand new course in the southern Salt Lake suburb of Sandy, Utah. Instead of last year’s short lap and punchy finish, which will be the course for the non ACC race on Sunday, the Utah ACC course is an ‘L’ shape, six-turn drag race around the Sandy Promenade Mall. This should be a good one for the sprinters and strong attackers looking for glory in the shadow of the Wasatch Range.
At 1.2-miles with only 20 feet of climbing per lap, the technicality of the six turns will be mitigated by those long straightaways. The two final turns are a quick back to back, which would impact a potential sprint finish, but they are unlikely enough to break up the peloton. Additionally, with Salt Lake's harsh winters and scorching summers, it can be challenging to find a course with good pavement in the city itself. However, the course in Sandy is mostly new pavement which will provide the conditions for a smooth, fast, and sprint friendly race.
LHM|CC Utah Crits will be telling in the grand scheme of the American Criterium Cup as Tulsa set the table for those who were in the mix to confirm their intentions around the series at the second stop. While both Tulsa winners won’t be on the start line, other ACC mainstays will be present and ready to bank some points for the season overall.
On the women’s side, Rylee McMullen (Virginia Blue Ridge Twenty28) is one of the names top of mind. McMullen is fresh off of a huge win on day three of Saint Francis Tulsa Tough on Cry Baby Hill. What’s more, while McMullen is a Kiwi, she also lives in the Salt Lake area.
“[Utah Crits] is my home race because I live here, so I'm really excited,” McMullen said before the race. “My teammates are all at my house so that'll be fun to just ride from home. We have a couple extra teammates this week so we are going to go for the in both days.”
Last year, McMullen was constantly knocking on the door of a big ACC result, but just missed the top step of the podium in 2024. This year, her team is new, her goals are different with responsibilities as a lead out rider for her team’s pure sprinter Marlies Mejias, and she has found a new perspective on sprinting,
“It has actually been really fun, I've been the main sprinter on teams for the last 3-4 years now and I think the pressure has got to me a little bit sometimes,” she said.
“It has been nice to sit back and look at sprinting from a different perspective and the team has given me the opportunity on some of the days that suit me, so I do have the ability to win as well. Switching between both roles is actually really fun.”
Without Mejias on the start list, the focus will be back on McMullen to nab a follow up win to her Cry Baby victory.
Beyond McMullen, Fount Cycling Guild is the next best bet for victory. They are bringing a small, but strong team to Sandy led by Andrea Cyr. Cyr isn’t a pure sprinter, however, she can find her way towards the front of many sprint finishes due to her strength and craft. She also will be looking to keep adding points to her tally after a top five finish in Tulsa.
For the men, all eyes are on Jordan Parra (Bikers Cycling). Parra won the ACC last year and is already back in pole position after finishing second to Rapps in Tulsa. Parra will surely look fondly upon the new flatter course in Sandy as it should suit his top end speed.
Daniel Summerhill (L39ion of Los Angeles) is another sprinter who could perhaps foil Parra, who last year benefited from Summerhill’s support last year, but he will have to go about it solo as he is the only L39ion of Los Angeles rider who has made the trek to Sandy. Likewise, Cry Baby Hill champion Brody McDonald (Golden State Blazers) will also be flying solo on Saturday.
Photo Credit: Veloimages LHM|CC Utah Crits
