This weekend was crazy, and I'd love to write a whole blog, but I'm still going on tidying stuff up so I'm just posting the press release here. My pictures are here. Tony's in a great one here.
Wish you all could have been there!
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We did it! What a great night. Thank you so much to everyone who volunteered, rode, watched, supported in any way.
Here’s the report….
Tacoma, WA. has been waiting for a cycling event for almost as many years as it has been a city. On June 12th it happened – The inaugural Tacoma Twilight Criterium.
The TTC was the 6th and final stop of the newly founded Cascadia Crit Series, also supported by Michelob. Stops along the tour began on May 29th in Woodinville, WA. and followed in Fremont, Seward Park, Ballard and the Brad Lewis Memorial before concluding in Tacoma.
The Tacoma course featured a basic 4-corner rectangle measuring about .8 of a mile with an uphill on the back side and a slight downhill finish. Lap times were averaging apppx. 1:35 which gave the crowd plenty of chances to see the race unfold.
US Olympic Short Track Speedskating medalist JR Celski attended to sign autographs and cheer on racers while a sparkling new 2010 Lamborghini SV served as the pace car for the night’s category 1 main event. Over 350 racers attended to put on a show of hard work for more than 3,000 spectators. An art-bike parade featured Tacoma’s best in retro and custom fabricated rolling works of art. More than 60 kids lined up for a shot at racing downtowns Pacific Ave. Local merchants opened the doors to serve the fans while the strips two hottest restaurant bars, Paddy Coynes and The Matador, hosted beer gardens with live music to keep the party going. The bike racks at The Hub’s after party were stacked 3 deep with bikes.
Local Cat 1 racer and staple fixture of the Pacific NW race scene, Russell Stevenson commented on the race in which he took 2nd: “What a great race. Definitely one of the best events we’ve seen here in the entire NW. We’ll be back for sure.”
The goal for this event was two fold: create a great race for the cyclist and create a festival atmosphere for the city. Great racing, fortunately in the Pacific NW, is not all that hard to do. The WSBA members and officials who help with race logistics are a great team of people. They can pretty much show up anywhere and be ready to hold a race on almost a moments notice.
The bigger goal however was to create the festival atmosphere for the city. After all, what is a cycling race if there is no one to come and watch? As a first time event for a city, making sure that spectators show up and feed the economy is critical.
All goals were achieved. Racers were smiling all night long. Tacoma citizens were glowing. And the taverns and restaurants were seeing their tills overflow as their kegs ran empty.
Look for the Tacoma Twilight Criterium to be back again in 2011.
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