North Star Grand Prix
Minnesota's iconic multi-day criterium stage race through Minneapolis and the Twin Cities — a pro road racing showcase worth watching.
The vibe
Pro crits through city streets
The North Star Grand Prix was Minnesota’s signature road racing event — a multi-day stage race that brought professional and elite amateur cyclists to the Twin Cities each June. At its peak, the race featured criteriums through the streets of Minneapolis neighborhoods like Uptown, time trials, and road stages spread across several days, drawing top-tier domestic pro teams and tens of thousands of roadside spectators.
The race ran as part of the broader North Star Bicycle Festival, which positioned Minneapolis as a legitimate stop on the American road racing calendar. Stages wound through city streets and regional roads, making it one of the more accessible pro race spectacles in the Midwest — no mountain passes required, just screaming criterium corners and wheel-to-wheel sprints.
The event went on hiatus after 2018. Watch northstargrandprix.com for any revival announcements — the Twin Cities cycling scene is strong enough to bring it back, and the template is already there.