Written and reported by Logan Jones-Wilkins.
The American Crit Cup has been a thrilling series thus far with five incredible races across the country over the summer. For both the men and the women, there have been winners from around the world, high-level team work, close-fought racing, and suspense at every step.
All of this will come to its conclusion with the sixth stop on the calendar on Labor Day weekend at the Bommarito Audi West County Gateway Cup Giro Della Montagna in St. Louis’ most Italian corner.
The race is a classic four-corner, one-mile course with a long climb up to the second-to-last turn. The course construction provides opportunities for breakaways, late ditch flyers and long high speed sprints. The right play is different for everyone and yet the course provides opportunities for upsets which will keep the season-long competitions alive until the very end.
Let’s dig in on what is left to play for:
The men’s overall title
The biggest prize left to be decided is the men’s individual title and that is for good reason – the battle has been waging all year long. Between Maurice Ballerstedt (Rose Bikes), Danny Summerhill (L39ion of Los Angeles), Brody McDonald (Golden State Blazers) and Lucas Bourgoyne, the lead has changed four times with each of the riders moving up and down the rankings with each subsequent race.
In a fascinating twist, Bourgoyne — who sits in fourth — is the only race winner amongst the crew with his win in Utah in June. Instead, the rest of the contenders have been consistently in the mix at each stop despite just missing out of wins. Ballerstedt, Summerhill, and McDonald all have second place finishes, for example.
In all likelihood, Bourgoyne is the one of the four who doesn’t have a realistic shot at winning the title, unless something truly dramatic happens. Nevertheless, in a group of riders who have been going at it alone over the season, Bourgoyne has the privilege of being a part of the winning team as Cadence Cyclery has locked up the overall teams classification with two of his teammates, Luke Fetzer and Richard Holec, winning the last two stops on the ACC.
That leaves just three riders spread out by a few points to fight for the overall red leaders jersey.
Ballerstedt sits in pole position with 153 points. The German has made the ACC his summer priority and has been a rock solid solo act. However, Gateway and its fearsome Hill will be a big test since Danny Summerhill, who sits in second at 150 points, has multiple wins at the event. With that gap, both Summerhill and Ballerstedt can control their destiny with wins in St. Louis. McDonald sits third at 146 and while it seems like he has a harder path, if he finds a breakaway with none or one of the riders ahead of him and finds some daylight, he could swoop in and take it.
Men’s ACC overall standings
- Maurice Ballerstedt — Rose Bikes — 153 points
- Danny Summerhill — L39ion of Los Angeles — 150
- Brody McDonald — Golden State Blazers — 146
- Lucas Bourgoyne — Cadence Cyclery — 138
- Dusan Kalaba — Parks Law Firm All Stars — 124
Men’s ACC team standings
- Cadence Cyclery — 268 points
- Golden State Blazers — 164
- L39ion of Los Angeles — 150
The women’s team standings
A four-way battle for all the marbles is hard to live up to in any competition; however, the women’s team classification comes close, with a tense showdown between the women of UTC Butcherbox Cycling and Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty28 coming down to the wire in St. Louis.
UTC Butcherbox has been led by the exploits of the overall series leader, Aline Seitz, who hasn’t relinquished her red leader’s jersey since her win in Milwaukee and has locked up the individual honors. With consistency and strong team backing, the Swiss track racer has been the benchmark of the ACC thus far, but her team has done enough to put them within shouting distance of doubling up the titles.
Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty28 is the big team standing in their way right now, with Sofia Areola’s win at Boise and consistent top finishes from Rylee McMullen keeping them close at hand. Their big advantage heading into the final race is the strength of Marlies Mejias, who has won the past two editions of The Hill and seems every bit as strong this year. Nevertheless, this season has served up plenty of surprises, and with Seitz being on point throughout the previous five stops, she and her team can’t be counted out.
Women’s ACC overall standings
- Aline Seitz — UTC Butcherbox Cycling — 160 points
- Andrea Cyr — Fount Cycling Guild — 134
- Kendall Ryan — L39ion of Los Angeles — 110
- Rylee McMullen — Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty28 — 103
- Makayla MacPherson — CCB p/b Levine Law — 82
Women’s team standings
- UTC Butcherbox Cycling — 242 points
- Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty28 — 233
- Fount Cycling Guild — 173
The sprints
While the overall point standings are the main competition at the American Crit Cup, there is a key subplot throughout the season: the mid race sprint green jersey.
The green jersey battle is one that is built to stay relevant throughout the full series as it increases the available points at each event. It starts with 3-2-1 points for the top three in the first race of the season at Tulsa, before accelerating to 8-7-6 points for the final race. This means that fast riders can swoop in during the last few races and steal the jersey from a rider who has been loading up on points early in the race.
Nevertheless, these competitions have been a talking point all season long, especially on the men’s side between Danny Summerhill and Owen Gillott (Chaney Windows and Doors Pasteria). Summerhill swept the competition last year and has made a concerted effort to dovetail his overall ambitions with his green jersey ambitions. Currently, he holds a slim one-point lead over Gillott who has been a surprise contender for green this summer. Gillott and his team began his green jersey campaign in Utah and has been diligent throughout the next three events to give him a real shot at taking the final jersey.
On paper, Summerhill is the favorite, but the big dynamic in this race is how Gillott has full individual and team commitments to the mid race sprint point. Summerhill has to split his attention and that could be the difference that gives Gillott the slight edge.
For the women, the sprint classification has been a bit less consistent throughout the year. There hasn’t been a clear idea about any rider going for the jersey throughout the race, even if some riders have tested the water in the competition. Rylee McMullen won the competition last year and has scored enough points over the last few races to set herself up to lock up the competition if she finishes in the top three. It is possible for her to win if she doesn’t, with only two riders within five points of her total. Yet, if she finishes in the top three, it’s virtually impossible to be passed.
Men’s ACC sprint classification
- Danny Summerhill — L39ion and Los Angeles — 20 points
- Owen Gillott — Chaney Windows and Doors Pasteria — 19
- Ben Elumbaugh — RF Foundation p/b George’s Cycles — 6
Women’s ACC sprint standings
- Rylee McMullen — Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty28 — 11 points
- Olivia Cummins — Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty28 — 8
- Andrea Cyr — Fount Cycling Guild — 6
