Originally posted on utahstories.com/2022/07/salt-lake-city-criterium-race-returns/

July 11, 2022 —

As the Tour de France courses its way through the countryside of Europe, the always-exciting and spectator-friendly Salt Lake Criterium is celebrating its third year, bringing its own unique brand of professional bike racing back to Utah’s capital city for a two-day event July 16-17, 2022.

What makes the Salt Lake Criterium events—and criterium, or “crit,” racing, in general—so exciting is that each race features a multiple-lap format highlighted by fast and furious action from start to finish, usually lasting approximately an hour. Primes (pronounced “preems”) are additional cash and/or prizes awarded on specific laps during each race, adding to the action and excitement as participants race to claim these mid-race prizes.

The action on Saturday, July 16, kicks-off in the Granary District near downtown and INDUSTRY SLC, with a fast, four-corner, counter-clockwise rectangle circuit just under a mile in length. The racing starts with amateur categories before the pros take the stage in the evening, which is the sixth of 10 stops on the new 2022 National Criterium Series Calendar, The American Crit Cup, where national and international men and women professional teams and cyclists battle it out for the chance to gain critical series’ points and more than $22,000 in cash. For those wanting a bird’s-eye view of the non-stop action, Your Favorite Bartender Co. and INDUSTRY SLC are providing a VIP experience.

Sugar House Park is the host venue on Sunday, July 17, and features a longer, 1.4-mile rolling course. Sugar House Park is a longtime favorite of local racers, who will be looking to use their home-field advantage after a hard day of racing on Saturday. Sunday’s race is also featuring additional junior and master categories throughout the day before the pro men and women take the stage to cap off what is sure to be a thrilling weekend of racing.

“We’re excited to bring top-level criterium racing back to Salt Lake City,” said Eric Gardiner, director and founder of the Salt Lake Criterium. “These two new courses will again create different types of racing each day and test teams’ ability to control a race. We’ll also spice it up a bit more with a lot more primes than in previous years.”

The 2022 Salt Lake Criterium schedule of events, registration, and sponsors can be found at www.saltlakecriterium.com, along with information on
volunteering and other ways to get involved in the event. About Criterium, or “Crit,” Racing The United States has a rich history of criterium racing, bringing a unique form of bike racing that stresses high-speed races contested amidst a thriving urban atmosphere featuring multiple-lap, fast-paced action. Crits are considered the most spectator-friendly and enduring form of bike racing in America today, where locally-originated events combine the highest levels of cycling with live race commentary, community gatherings, and street festivals providing fun for the whole family while showcasing some of America’s most vibrant,
downtown districts.

Following Utah’s professional Salt Lake City Criterium, the American Crit Cup series heads to Chicago, Illinois, and a few other stops before the grand finale in St. Louis, Missouri, in September, where the season’s $100,000 prize purse will be awarded.