I stopped by the Stumptown Criterium on Sunday. The event was one of many festivities held downtown over the weekend in conjunction with the Major League Soccer All-Star Game (which happens at Providence Park this Wednesday).
I love a good crit. In terms of road racing, there isn’t a more exciting discipline. The action happens just inches from spectators and it’s a thing of beauty to watch the athletes jostle for position, dive into 90-degree corners without slowing down, and sprint shoulder-to-shoulder for the big cash payouts.
The Stumptown Crit was billed as a replacement to the Twilight Criterium, which has been held for years in downtown Portland and usually sees thousands of roaring fans. Unfortunately Sunday’s event had pretty anemic attendance (I hear racing participation is down across the board so far this year in Oregon) — both in field sizes and in the crowds. Even without the huge numbers though, the event was top-notch and the racers left everything out on the road.
Here are some photos from the pro men’s and women’s races (and even one from the pedicab race!)…
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star Cole Lalomia leads the field.
I had a great time racing on Sunday – it is a fun course. 2 reasons why attendance might have been less than before: It was on a Sunday afternoon instead Friday evening; the race was sanctioned by USA Cycling instead of OBRA.