USA CRITS organisers amplified the reach for the one-day US race series by adding three events to their 2025 lineup, now nine races in five states. The series, in a 16th season, focuses on established events in the south-east with a points-based calendar compressed into seven weeks.
For the first time in seven editions, the collection of races expands beyond the south-east with the inaugural Aksarben Tirc Crit Nebraska p/b Visit Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska serving as the penultimate stop on May 17, one week before the finals at the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic (WSCC) in North Carolina.
The last time the series had such an expansive group of races across the US was 2016 when there were 10 races in 8 states. It is the first time a race in Nebraska has been part of the series as well, USA CRITS having been as far west as Vancouver, British Columbia when the Gastown Grand Prix was part of the mix in 2014 and 2015.
The Sunny King Criterium serves as the kick-off event for a second consecutive year, taking place on Saturday, April 5 for its 23rd edition in downtown Anniston, Alabama. Other returning events include three in Georgia - Rock&Road Criterium, Athens Orthopedic Clinic Twilight, LaGrange Cycling Classic - and Spartanburg Criterium in South Carolina. Two events in the Spin the District collection of races in communities south of Atlanta are now part of USA CRITS, races in Hapeville and College Park.
A clash with a new calendar position for the USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships, May 20-24, may hinder athletes from electing to travel to Winston-Salem for the USA CRITS finale on May 24. Previously, the series wrapped weekends of racing around the US Pro Criterium Championships, which were on Friday evening. This year the US Pro criterium races are on a Thursday, two days and 360 miles away from the USA CRITS finale.
"Racers do have the ability to race the Criterium National Championships and attend other events of Memorial Day weekend, but of course [it would be better] if on separate weekends. There are already a plethora of great events traditionally held on the holiday weekend, including Tour of Somerville [May 26]," said Gene Dixon, founder of USA CRITS and owner of Swagger LLC which produces the series and Athens Twilight, who provided insight to Cyclingnews.
"In 2024 the Winston-Salem event moved back to Memorial Day where it had been for many years. Local scheduling conflicts prevent a move to any other date close to that weekend. The closeness of Winston-Salem to Charleston does allow for attending both, though not ideal."
Alexis Magner and Alfredo Rodriguez dominated the elite races for 2025 women's and men's titles. Magner, who moves from L39ION of Los Angeles to Cynisca Cycling this season, won four of six races while Rodriguez earned a pair of wins and two other podiums to lead REIGN Storm Racing to the individual and team top rankings.
Swagger LLC also puts together Speed Week, a more compressed racing series focused in Georgia and South Carolina, nicknamed 'crit camp' by many teams. As in previous years, the eight races that comprise Speed Week are tightly grouped geographically and ramp up the action for an 11-day span. The four races in Athens, Spartanburg, LaGrange and College Park provide points for both series.
Last year a base prize purse of $200,000 was shared equally among the men's and women's elite riders in USA CRITS, which included individual race payouts and a series bonus for the top 10 elite men, elite women and teams. Organisers have not yet confirmed the cash prizes for 2025 to Cyclingnews, but did confirm a key factor for teams will be live streaming for all nine races.
“We are eager to showcase the new Omaha course in our schedule of USA CRITS races this year, all of which will be live-streamed in 2025,” noted Marilyn Cullinane, who is also the race director of the kick-off event in Anniston.
Cullinane returns to the organising staff of USA CRITS as the livestream production manager and named Thad Fischer, former director of the UCI BMX World Championships and team director of the Cheerwine women's pro team, as director of team engagement.
USA Crits 2025 schedule
- April 5 - Sunny King Criterium in Anniston, Alabama
- April 11 - Spin the District: Hapeville Criterium in Hapeville, Georgia
- April 12 - Rock&Road Criterium p/b 75 Jackson Properties in Newnan, Georgia
- April 26 - *Athens Orthopedic Clinic Twilight p/b St. Mary's Health Care System in Athens, Georgia
- May 2 - * Spartanburg Criterium p/b Gibbs Cancer Center & Spartanburg Medical Center, Spartanburg, South Carolina
- May 3 - *LaGrange Cycling Classic in LaGrange, Georgia
- May 4 - *Spin the District: College Park Criterium in College Park, Georgia
- May 17 - Aksarben Tirc Crit Nebraska p/b Visit Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska
- May 24 - Winston-Salem Cycling Classic in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- * denotes races in both USA Crits and Speed Week
Speed Week 2025 schedule
- April 24 - Greenville Cycling Classic p/b Prisma Health in Greenville, South Carolina
- April 26 - Athens Orthopedic Clinic Twilight p/b St. Mary's Health Care System in Athens, Georgia
- April 27 - Curiosity Lab Criterium in Peachtree Corners, Georgia
- April 29 - Spin the District: Union City in Union City, Georgia
- April 30 - High Line Criterium in Suwanee, Georgia
- May 2 - Spartanburg Criterium p/b Gibbs Cancer Center & Spartanburg Medical Center, Spartanburg, South Carolina
- May 3 - LaGrange Cycling Classic in LaGrange, Georgia
- May 4 - Spin the District: College Park in College Park, Georgia
