SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (August 25, 2020) — The Salt Lake Criterium organizing committee announced today a new expanded racing weekend for 2021. The first of two criterium races will take place at the 2019 venue, the original Gateway location in downtown Salt Lake City on Saturday, July 17. The second race will be held on Sunday, July 18 on an exciting course in the city of Holladay, a vibrant suburb of Salt Lake City at the base of Mount Olympus on the east side of the Salt Lake Valley. These events will be sanctioned under USA Cycling and include amateur and professional fields. Both races will be part of the USA CRITS national series.
“Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event at the Gateway, we are excited to grow this into a crit racing weekend that will showcase more of Salt Lake City and its cycling fans,” said the race director, Eric Gardiner, “with back-to-back Saturday/Sunday USA CRITS races, we expect to attract an even larger number of pros competing for points and cash on the two very different courses.”
The organizing committee was saddened to cancel the 2020 event due to the COVID-19 pandemic but are doubling down on 2019’s event to continue growth. The criterium, with its fast, short laps, world class sprinters and professional teamwork, is one of the most exciting cycling disciplines to watch. The Committee will be planning for safely supporting the number of fans expected to watch in person, with scenarios dependent on the status of the pandemic in the next year. Both days will be streamed live on USACRITS.tv. The Salt Lake Criterium inaugural event in 2019 was highly successful with 319 amateur riders, 21 USA CRITS D1 professional teams, and over 5,000 fans that came down to The Gateway throughout the day.
