American criterium racing returns to the screen Saturday night with the sixth round of USA Crits at the Birmingham Hammerfest in Alabama.
There are few unique factors for this round. One, it’s the first event in the series where the marquee men’s and women’s events are composed only of D1 teams — those squads registered with USA Crits to race the full 10-event series. And two, the unstoppable L39ion of Los Angeles squad is switching up its roster, with the talented Nsek brothers Ama and Imeh swapping in for the Williams brother Justin and Cory, who are currently first and third in the USA Crits individual standings, respectively.
Ama Nsek in particular has enjoyed the top of the podium at a number of races this year. At USA Crits, he has raced the Cat. 1/2 event, winning two races in both Tulsa and Salt Lake City.
USA Crits men’s individual standings
| Racer | Team | U25? | Total | Saint | Boise | SLC | SLC | Littl | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin WILLIAMS | L39ION of Los Angeles | 1215 | 251 | 251 | 230 | 262 | 221 | |
| 2 | Thomas GIBBONS | Automatic Racing | 1153 | 227 | 214 | 212 | 256 | 244 | |
| 3 | Tyler WILLIAMS | L39ION of Los Angeles | 1144 | 238 | 213 | 272 | 174 | 247 | |
| 4 | Cory WILLIAMS | L39ION of Los Angeles | 1034 | 240 | 240 | 240 | 60 | 254 | |
| 5 | Conor MULLERVY | Team CLIF Bar | 934 | 173 | 196 | 179 | 219 | 167 |
USA Crits women’s individual standings
| Racer | Team | U25? | Total | TULSA | Boise | SLC | SLC | Littl | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rachel LANGDON | InstaFund Racing | 1199 | 231 | 240 | 234 | 254 | 240 | |
| 2 | Harriet OWEN | InstaFund Racing | 1190 | 225 | 231 | 252 | 251 | 231 | |
| 3 | Christina GOKEY SMITH | Colavita/HelloFresh Pro Women’s Cycling | 1058 | 205 | 212 | 250 | 180 | 211 | |
| 4 | Celine OBERHOLZER | ATX Wolfpack p/b Jakroo | U25 | 921 | 159 | 227 | 218 | 210 | 107 |
| 5 | Kimberly LUCIE | DNA Pro Cycling Team | 861 | 122 | 187 | 213 | 155 | 184 |