After a two-year absence from the US racing calendar, USA Crits returns in 2024 as a formal series of six established events across April and May in a trio of southern states. The collection of races touts live streaming, ‘travel-friendly’ geographical locations and a base prize purse for elite riders of $200,000, based on a combination of individual race payouts and a series bonus for top 10 elite men, elite women and teams.
Four of the six events have been part of USA Cycling’s national calendar for pro road racing, beginning with the series start on April 13 at Sunny King Criterium, now in its 22nd edition in downtown Anniston, Alabama.
The middle stops of USA Crits will be April 26-27, the Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System Criterium in South Carolina on Friday followed by the Athens Orthopedic Clinic Twilight Criterium in Georgia on Saturday. The finale will be on May 25 at Winston-Salem Cycling Classic in North Carolina, with its unique figure-eight course set amid a backdrop of the “Gears & Guitars” musical festival.
“The four main events in the series are the longest standing criterium events in the South,” said Marilyn Hill, marketing manager for USA Crit as well as race director for Sunny King Criterium.
“Having us all together will offer the athletes the best lineup of events, an easily manageable schedule to complete, and a solid cash payout at the end of the six-week series. Collectively, these are the South’s premier, historic criteriums.”
Two additional Georgia races are expected to complete the series - the Rock & Road Criterium p/b 75 Jackson Properies in Newnan on April 21 and LaGrange Cycling Classic on May 4.
Both Sunny King Criterium and Athens Twilight Criterium will not return to the American Criterium Cup national series in 2024. That collection of criterium races will begin June 7 at Saint Francis Tulsa Tough and conclude September 1 at Bommarito Audi Gateway Cup. The ACC has eight races on next year's calendar.
One of the key considerations for the calendar in 2024 with USA Crits, according to Hill, was USA Cycling’s Pro Road National Championships, which are scheduled for May 14-19 in Charleston, West Virginia. USA Crits kept that weekend open so as not to create a conflict with those road events, including the US Pro Criterium Championships.
USA Crits, which had offered a domestic series for 15 years prior to 2022, continues to be managed by Swagger LLC, a sports production company in Athens, Georgia owned by Gene Dixon. Thad Fischer will serve as the executive director of USA Crits, while Hill also serves as coordinator for broadcasting. Live streaming will be offered for all pro races at USACrits.com, and other broadcast partners will be confirmed at a later date.
Swagger also organises Speed Week, considered a ‘sister event’ for the revival of USA Crits. The Spartanburg, Athens and LaGrange events are expected to return in the regional series, with Newnan a new stop for Speed Week. Last year that regional series was won by Leah Kirchmann (Denver Disruptors) and Evan McQuirk (ButcherBox Cycling p/b LOOK).
Swagger shut down USA Crits after the conclusion of the 2021 racing season when one the company's contractors was temporarily suspended by US Center for SafeSport for allegations of misconduct, and the company then terminated employment. In October 2023, the suspension for the individual was changed to ‘permanent ineligibility’ from participation in activities and competitions with USA Cycling.
