Inside The Maverick Criterium: Changes for 2026

We share how Maverick Criterium grew from a lunch idea to a true city race weekend, with campus corners under the lights, a revamped downtown sprint, and a bigger prize purse. We break down last year’s wins and messes, the new categories, neutral support, and why community buy-in matters. • year-one highlights and hard lessons • permits, signatures, and city partnerships • campus course design and OU collaboration • downtown crowd energy and safety choices • weather delays and real-time fixes • Porsche pace cars and protocols • 2026 updates: new categories, night racing • revised downtown course for growth • Fondo, 10-mile ride, beer mile • host homes for teams and how to help • volunteers, weeknight tune-up crits • neutral support details and free-lap basics • prize purse increase to 15,000 dollars • why Maverick is the perfect Tulsa Tough tune-up Come race Maverick. It’s before Tulsa. There’s gonna be people here that I know you want to beat.  https://www.mavcrit.com/ Host Home/Volunteer - https://www.mavcrit.com/volunteer Register - https://www.bikereg.com/maverick-criterium