38th Annual Boise Twilight Criterium Set for July 19 Followed by Bogus Basin Hill Climb on July 20, 2025

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BOISE, Idaho (July 15, 2025) — After a foray into the upper midwest of the United States at the Kwik Trip Tour of America’s Dairyland, the American Criterium Cup moves westwards for the historic Bailey Glasser Boise Twilight Criterium on Saturday, July 19th in downtown Boise, Idaho.

The 2025 Boise Twilight Criterium will take place on July 19. Photo courtesy of the American Criterium Cup

This year will be the 38th edition of the Boise Twilight Criterium as the event has brought fast racing to the shadow of the Idaho State Capitol for generations of American cyclists. While the American racing scene has changed its complexion a few times over the nearly four decades of racing in Boise, Idaho’s crown jewel of a bike race has persisted, presenting the opportunity for racers from across the country to show out their stuff on what is historically the fastest criterium in the nation. 

Right on the heels of the Twilight Crit is the Bogus Basin Hill Climb, which will be held on Sunday, July 20 and rounds out a spectacular race weekend. The race climbs 4,314 feet in 18 and a half miles. The race is in it’s 54th year. This year’s event is part of the Gran Fondo National Series. See event info below.

At its origins, the Boise Twilight Criterium is a consummate Idaho event. Originally, the event was formulated as a road race in the mold of the Colorado-based Coors Classic which ran from Boise to the ski resort town of Sun Valley. An executive for an Idaho-based potato product company was the catalyst for the project and eventually, a women’s road race materialized in 1984. 

The race, which was originally called the Ore-Ida Women’s Challenge, began as a road race before morphing into a women’s only stage race with big prize money, long stages, and many stages crisscrossing the state. In fact, the race was so robust that the UCI refused to sanction the event during its 19-year tenure as nothing on the women’s calendar was like what the Ore-Ida Women’s Challenge was during its heyday. 

While the Ore-Ida Women’s Challenge shut its doors in 2002, that initial race in 1984 was a catalyst for cycling in the “Gem State.” A national championship came to Boise soon after in 1986 which only increased the enthusiasm for cycling in the city. Boise Twilight Criterium was launched the next year and has been building on that enthusiasm ever since with year 37 on tap for the weekend. 

With that history backing the race, a winners list filled with some of America’s biggest professional racers, and a community that always shows up for the spectacle, expect the Boise Twilight to be as fast and thrilling as ever. 

Facts and figures: 

Where does the Boise Twilight Criterium take place? The Bailey & Glasser Twilight Criterium takes place in downtown Boise, Idaho.

What is the date and time of the event? Both of the events take place on Saturday, July 19th with the 70-minute women’s pro race starting at 6:15 PM mountain time while the men’s 70-minute race begins at 7:45 PM mountain time.

What are the course attributes? Boise Twilight is a 0.54-mile four-corner course with wide four-lane roads along each straight. 

How many editions of the Bailey & Glasser Twilight Criterium have there been? The race began in 1987 and has run every year since, with the only exception coming during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. 2025 will be the 38th edition of the race. 

Who won the event in 2023? Skylar Schnieder and Jordan Parra won the women’s and men’s professional races last year.

The Course

Boise Twilight is the epitome of an American criterium: four corners, four-lane roads, a late night, and big crowds. Those ingredients are all that is needed to create the fastest race in the country. 

The 0.54-mile course that runs its way around the front of the Idaho Capitol will see speeds close to 30mph for the women and over 30mph for the men with the fastest recorded laps well under the one-minute mark. 

Beyond the speed, the short laps, and the four wide corners, there is no real secret to the race. Attrition is low, breakaways are tough to form, and strong team lead-outs lead to the most successful outcomes since there is enough room after the final turn for a rider to come off of the wheels and take the win. 

The Contenders 

After Tulsa, Utah, and Wisconsin, the American Crit Cup standing has begun to take shape around a few contenders who look set to contest the series all the way through. Those riders should be some of the names we see come to the fore in Boise as well as a few other names that should be in the mix as well. 

Read more: The ACC standings mid way through the summer season

On the women’s side, it is all about the building showdown between Aline Seitz (UTC Butcherbox) and Andrea Cyr (Fount Cycling Guild). Seitz is fresh off of a huge win at the Kwik Trip Tour of America’s Dairyland and will be looking to build her lead further with consistent sprints across the final three races. Andrea Cyr, on the other hand, will be looking for every possible chance to get up the road to open up a points gap between the two riders. 

“The ACC wasn’t a goal for me personally at the beginning of the year, but I had some decent results and that lit a little fire in me to make another run at it for this year,” Andrea Cyr told the ACC before the race. “For Boise, I won’t have a team behind me, but I’ll do what I can. It is a flat fast four corner that doesn’t necessarily suit me, but, surprisingly, I have had a podium there in the past, so I’m not ruling out a good result there because of that.”

Cyr and her team were pressing hard for a breakaway on Downer Avenue during the last ACC stop, but this time it will be Cyr on her own versus Seitz who will have riders to support her effort to consolidate her lead in the ACC standings. With the cards stacked against her, Cyr will have to play it very carefully. 

“Being a race alone and not being a pure sprinter means I have to play off other riders a bit more,” she said. “I just have to see how other teams are going to head into the race and then try and play off any of the dynamics and rivalries.  

“I just have to go into the race a bit smarter. When I do have team support, I tend to be more aggressive because I know I can rely on them to hold the ball if I drop it for a moment. I just can’t afford mistakes when I don’t have a team.”

For the men, it is most of the familiar figures returning to the American Criterium Cup circuit. Brody McDonald is the current ACC leader but he is currently not on the start list for Boise. Instead, the impetus will be on Maurice Ballerstedt who sits in second on the ACC standings. Ballerstedt is in a close race with McDonald, Lucas Bourgoyne (Cadence Cyclery) and Danny Summerhill (L39ion of Los Angeles). In Boise, expect the race to boil down to Summerhill, Bourgoyne, and Ballerstedt once again. 

If it isn’t one of those main ACC stalwarts, look for the EMPYR team or Chaney Window and Doors Pastaria. EMPYR especially has been getting closer to the front of the races this year with Ian Williams and Luca Haines.

The 2025 Boise Twilight Criterium will take place on July 19. Photo courtesy of the American Criterium Cup

Twilight Criterium Event info and Registration:

July 19 — Boise Twilight Criterium, American Criterium Cup, Boise, ID, 38th Annual, Pro Road Tour, races for all categories, and race under the lights for the pros., Mike Cooley, 208-371-5175, mike.cooley1958@gmail.com, boisetwilightcriterium.com

Bogus Basin Hill Climb Event Info:

July 20 — Bogus Basin Hill Climb, Gran Fondo National Series, Boise, ID, The Third Oldest Hill Climb in the United States returns for its 54th year. Climb 4,314 feet in 18.5 paved miles, Robert Evans, 208-343-3782, events@georgescycles.com, bogusbasinhillclimb.com

 

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