The Tampa Downtown Partnership announces the first annual Twilight Criterium and Festival to be held Saturday, March 21, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., in downtown Tampa. The event is free and open to the public and part of the Tampa BayCycle campaign.
The Criterium and festival is a family-friendly event that will feature both amateur and professional circuit bicycling races (criterium), and an outdoor wellness festival. Activities such as bike safety checks, helmet giveaways, a bicycle rodeo, street skills instruction, bike gear vendors, bike movies and more will take place throughout the day. A VIP-led bicycling parade is open to the public, so be sure to come decorate your bike and join the ride.
A Criterium, or crit, is a bike race held on a short course (usually less than 5 km), often run on closed-off city centre streets. Race length can be determined by a total time or a number of laps, in which case the number of remaining laps is calculated as the race progresses. Generally the event’s duration (commonly one hour) is shorter than that of a traditional road race, however, the average speed and intensity are appreciably higher. The winner is the first rider to cross the finish line without having been lapped.
Success in a Criterium requires a mix of good technical skills — in particular, the ability to corner smoothly, while “holding your line” on the road, as well as rapidly and sharply — and riding safely with a large group on a short circuit and exceptional “sprint” ability to attack other riders and repeatedly accelerate hard from corners. For more information about the first annual Twilight Criterium and Festival, and to register for events, please visit www.tampacrit.com.
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