Skylar Schneider (L39ION of Los Angeles) won her third of four events in the American Criterium Cup series on Sunday at the Fulton Market Grand Prix in Chicago, padding her lead at the top of the elite women’s standings in the six-race series.
Her L39ION teammate Justin Williams finished one spot off the podium at the ACC contest and clung to a two-point margin as the elite men’s ACC leader over race winner Lucas Bourgoyne (Team Cadence Cyclery pb Waldo Racing).
It Bourgoyne’s first win since May 30, when he took the top spot at Amazon Armed Forces Cycling Classic’s Capitol Cup. Since then, he’s had a load of podiums and top 10s, but a victory has evaded him.
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“Lately I’ve been really struggling, managing the team, doing the logistics…and I have an incredible team behind me that’s doing double and triple time to make this thing happen. It is these days right here that make all of it worth it,” Bourgoyne told Chicago GRIT organisers after his victory.
Skylar Schneider has been prolific with winning this season, the 27-year-old scoring seven wins in the nine races in which she competed last week at Chicago GRIT. It was Skylar Schneider’s sixth career victory at the Fulton Market Grand Prix, which is the finale of the regional Chicago GRIT series.
Wearing the red leader’s jersey, Skylar Schneider was easy to spot on the four-corner course, with a long, back straightaway that passed beneath the famous elevated ‘L’ train in the entertainment district of Chicago. She didn’t make any moves out of the field until the final lap.
A breakaway of six made their way off the front early in the race with hot and humid conditions, with riders from top teams looking for intermediate sprint points and pay days. Most active in the group was Holly Breck (L39ION of Los Angeles), who moved into the ACC sprint lead by winning 6 points in the mid-race series sprints, with Marjie Bemis (HigherDOSE l Renova) second best in the front group.
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Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing did much of the work to reel back the breakaway, then Chloe Patrick and Laurel Rathbun set up the final lap leadout for USPro criterium champion Kendall Ryan. As the long line of the riders passed under the famous ‘L’ train in Chicago for the final time, Fearless Femme pb The Beasley Firms set the pace at the front for Paola Muñoz.
After the final right-hand corner, Ryan began to wind up her push for the finish, while Skylar Schneider and Muñoz came alongside. With under 200 metres to go, and there was nearly a coming together with less than 200 meters to go, Schneider went full throttle up the middle. Ryan closed down a big gap, but ran out of real estate and finished second, while Muñoz took third.
Aline Seitz (HigherDOSE | Renova) finished fourth and retained her second-place position in the ACC overall standings. Muñoz is third overall while Ryan is fourth.
The elite men’s race saw only one attempt at a breakaway in the opening minutes, then the field settled for quick bursts at the intermediate sprints. Michael Garrison (Speedstudio p/b Basso) took a solo flier and looked uncatchable for 20 minutes.
With under 10 laps to go a group of a dozen riders went to work to close down the threat, including a trio from L39ION of Jim Brown, Cory Williams and Justin Williams, Team Cadence Cyclery duo Bourgoyne and Cade Bickmore and Sebastian Brenes Mata (Good Guys Racing NYC).
Cory Williams’ effort reeled back Garrison with less than one lap to go. Once out of the shadows of the ‘L’, Team Cadence Cyclery pb Waldo Racing set up their train for Bourgoyne, who exploded to the front and won by several bike lengths ahead of Brown, who finished second. Brenes Mata went third and the red jersey of Justin Williams trailed in fourth.
In fifth place was 18-year-old Dylan Haynes (Boulder Junior Cycling), who moved to third in the overall standings, which has Justin Williams with 108 points at the top of the leaderboard and Bourgoyne with 106 points in second.
The men’s sprint standings continued to be led by Owen Gillott (Chaney Windows and Doors Big Shark pb Pastaria).
The American Criterium Cup moves next to Utah for the Salt Lake Criterium on August 15, using a new eight-corner course in downtown Salt Lake City.
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(Image credit: Ethan Glading – Chicago GRIT)
(Image credit: Ethan Glading – Chicago GRIT)
ACC Race #4 Results
|
Place |
Full Name (Team) |
Diff |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Skylar Schneider (L39ION of Los Angeles) |
1:07:45 |
|
2 |
Kendall Ryan (Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing) |
+0:00:00 |
|
3 |
Paola Munoz (Fearless Femme pb The Beasley Firm) |
+0:00:01 |
|
4 |
Aline Seitz (HigherDose | Renova) |
+0:00:01 |
|
5 |
Andrea Cyr (HigherDose | Renova) |
+0:00:01 |
|
6 |
Chloe Patrick (Caldera Medical x Aurea Racing) |
+0:00:01 |
|
7 |
Rylee McMullen (UCI CTW: Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty28) |
+0:00:01 |
|
8 |
Veronica Church (Independent) |
+0:00:02 |
|
9 |
Justine Thomas (HigherDose | Renova) |
+0:00:02 |
|
10 |
Sierra Sims (Team Winston Salem Flow) |
+0:00:04 |
|
Place |
Full Name (Team) |
Diff |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Lucas Bourgoyne (Team Cadence Cyclery pb Waldo Racing) |
1:10:28 |
|
2 |
Jim Brown (L39ION of Los Angeles) |
+0:00:00 |
|
3 |
Sebastian Brenes Mata (Good Guys Racing NYC) |
+0:01:33 |
|
4 |
Justin Williams (L39ION of Los Angeles) |
+0:00:01 |
|
5 |
Dylan Haynes (Boulder Junior Cycling) |
+0:00:01 |
|
6 |
Zachary Racine (Total Civil Construction Race Division) |
+0:00:01 |
|
7 |
William Hardin (Team Winston Salem) |
+0:00:02 |
|
8 |
Gabe Porterfield (Chaney Windows and Doors Big Shark pb Pastaria) |
+0:00:02 |
|
9 |
Luke Fetzer (Team Cadence Cyclery pb Waldo Racing) |
+0:00:02 |
|
10 |
Owen Hancock (First Internet Bank) |
+0:00:02 |