Eight races, six weeks, and enough humidity to drown a fish. The premier American criterium series is returning to its spiritual home.
If you enjoy watching domestic pros bang bars at 35mph while navigating 90-degree corners and a sea of screaming, slightly intoxicated college students, we have excellent news.
USA CRITS announced its 2026 calendar today, and it is a love letter to the American South.
Running from April 11 to May 23, the series features eight races concentrated entirely in the “Crit Belt” of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. It’s a condensed, high-intensity block that looks less like a national series and more like a six-week survival camp.
The Crown Jewel: Athens Twilight
The schedule kicks off with the Sunny King Criterium in Anniston, AL, but let’s be honest: the date everyone circles is April 18.
That’s the Athens Orthopedic Clinic Twilight. For the uninitiated, Athens Twilight is essentially the Monaco Grand Prix of American cycling, if Monaco replaced the yachts with frat houses and the champagne with cheap domestic lager. Racing at night, under the lights, with thousands of fans banging on the barriers, is the closest domestic road racing gets to a stadium atmosphere.
The “D1” Stimulus Package
Perhaps the most interesting note in the press release is the push for the D1 TEAM program.
USA CRITS is offering “travel stipends” and a points-based prize purse to incentivize top squads to actually show up. In an era where domestic teams are often funded by a local car dealership and a prayer, getting actual cash to cover gas money is a revolutionary concept.
The Full Schedule (Mark Your Calendars)
- April 11: Sunny King Criterium (Anniston, AL)
- April 18: Athens Twilight (Athens, GA)
- April 26: LaGrange Cycling Classic (LaGrange, GA)
- April 30: Greenville Cycling Classic (Greenville, SC)
- May 1: Spartanburg Criterium (Spartanburg, SC)
- May 2: High Line Criterium (Suwanee, GA)
- May 16: Rock Hill Spring Classic (Rock Hill, SC)
- May 23: Winston-Salem Cycling Classic (Winston-Salem, NC)
The whole circus will be streamed live on Outside.tv, meaning you can watch the carnage from the safety of your air-conditioned living room.
It’s fast, it’s loud, and it’s arguably the best format of racing in America. We’ll see you in Athens. Bring earplugs.