Tour de Grove, Evanston GP to feature in 2011 series
Jonny Sundt (Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Geargrinder) and USA Crits young rider leader Isaac Howe (Team Mountain Khakis f/b Jittery Joes) strike a pose on the start line. (Image credit: Emory Ball)
The organizers of the USA Crits Championships Series this week announced two new races for this year's series, the Tour de Grove in St. Louis, Missouri and the Evanston Grand Prix in Illinois.
The two events are part of the ten-race series for men and eight-race series for women which conclude at the CapCrit in Washington, DC on October 2.
As it has each of the four previous seasons, the Athens Terrapin Twilight Criterium will kick off the USA Crits Championship Series with the 32nd edition of the popular event on April 30.
Tour de Grove continues the calendar on May 14, followed by the Giro d' Grafton in Wisconsin on June 18, which also serves as stage 3 of the Tour of America's Dairyland.
Cincinnati, Ohio's Hyde Park Blast holds the men-only fourth race in the series on June 25, while the women return for the Iron Hill Twilight Criterium in West Chester, Pennsylvania on July 9.
Round six, the men-only Boise Twilight Criterium, takes place on July 16 in Idaho before both men and women tackle the high-stakes Presbyterian Invitational Criterium on July 30.
The Evanston Grand Prix is new to the series in 2011, but it is a well-established event in this vibrant Chicago suburb - featuring a full schedule of pro and amateur racing on August 21.
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The Chris Thater Memorial, now in its 28th year, was founded in 1983 by Jim May in honor of his friend Chris Thater, a cyclist, who was killed after being hit by a drunk driver. It will be the penultimate event before the final overall champions are crowned in the country's Capital.
On Sunday, October 2, the overall series winner, lap champion, best young rider and most aggressive rider will be crowned at the Capital Criterium presented by the Washington Convention and Sports Authority, which races down the world-renown Presidential inauguration route framed by the U.S. Capitol Building. The CapCrit p/b WCSA provides a fitting finale on a world-class stage to crown the best criterium racers in America.
2011 USA Crits Champion Series:
Terrapin Twilight Criterium; Athens, GA; April 30, 2011 Tour de Grove; St. Louis, MO; May 14, 2011 Giro d' Grafton; Grafton, WI; June 18, 2011 Hyde Park Blast (Men Only); Cincinnati, OH; June 25, 2011 Iron Hill Twilight Criterium; West Chester, PA; July 9, 2011 Boise Twilight Criterium (Men Only); Boise, ID; July 16, 2011 Presbyterian Hospital Invitational; Charlotte, NC; July 30, 2011 Evanston Grand Prix; Evanston, IL; August 21, 2011 Chris Thater Memorial; Binghamton, NY; August 27-28, 2011 Capital Criterium; Washington, DC; October 2, 2011
