Luke Lamperti and Samantha Schneider win inaugural titles at CRIT Championship

Three-time US Pro criterium champion Luke Lamperti and Tulsa Tough omnium winner Samantha Schneider won the elite races at the inaugural CRIT Championship in St. Petersburg, Florida on Saturday evening. 

It was a L39ION of Los Angeles sweep in the women’s race, a combined field for pros and category 2/3/4 riders as Samantha Schneider posted up as she crossed the line ahead of teammates Skylar Schneider in second and Julyn Aguila in third. A full squad of six L39ION riders, including Alexis Ryan, Kendall Ryan and Aubrey Drummond, won the team prize. 

Lamperti also celebrated his victory as he crossed the line several bike lengths in front of Daniel Estevez (Miami Blazers - Canyon) and Lucas Bourgoyne (Austin Aviators - Metor).

Lamperti competed this year for Trinity Racing on the road and represented Team USA at the UCI Road and Gravel World Championships.

L39ION swept the podium ceremonies with the men’s team prize as well, the trophy hoisted by Cory Williams alongside Lamperti, Tyler Williams and Eder Frayre.

The flat, four-corner course for the CRIT Championship was ridden in a counter-clockwise direction, the men finishing as the sun sank behind the palm tree-lined avenues stretching to the Gulf of Mexico. 

CRIT, an acronym for Circuit Racing International Tour, was created by Justin Williams, who started Williams Racing development and co-founded L39ION of Los Angeles. The event offered a $15,000 prize purse for pro women and pro men that was split evenly across both fields in 70-minute competitions. 

The men’s pro race featured an ‘all-star’, invitation-only field of 10 teams for the one-day event, which was independently produced from USA Cycling. A separate women’s pro race never materialised with a shortfall of invited riders who had schedule conflicts and limited availability, so the pro women competed in the women’s open category 2/3/4 event. The same prize money was distributed for the women as planned.

Results