BOISE, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
For the 36th year, the Boise Twilight Criterium is returning downtown.
Professional and amateur crit racers from around the world will take to the City of Trees’ streets on Saturday in this fast-paced, closed-circuit race that’s free to watch.
“It’s probably most closely related to a NASCAR race, where the riders are going to do a circuit over and over for a given period of time,” Boise Race Director Mike Cooley said of crit racing. “There’s a fair amount of team strategy that goes into it.”
The Boise criterium is part of the 10-race American Criterium Cup, or ACC, in which riders compete for a combined total series prize of $500,000, split evenly between men and women competitors.
Riders will travel on Jefferson between Ninth Street and Sixth Street, past the Capitol, down Sixth and around on Bannock for several laps. Separate races featuring different ages and levels will take to the course starting at noon with the kids’ ride and culminating with the pros at 6:30 p.m. and 8:05 p.m.
“The professionals, both the men and the women, they’re consistently doing around 30 miles an hour,” Cooley said.
The quick pace and tight turns are made more challenging by the fact that the course is typically tightly packed. For the women’s pro field, there will be around 50 riders on the course, Cooley said, and the men’s pro race will feature around 70.
The best place to watch, Cooley said, will be the “Fan Expo Area,” set up at Cecil D. Andrus Park; this area will open at 1 p.m. and will feature a beverage garden, vendors, food trucks and activities.
The circuit is fenced off all around with designated areas where pedestrians can cross.
Boise will be the fifth stop of the ACC. Participating teams have riders from all over the country and some from abroad. The pro race features teams of up to six riders.
The celebration of the race starts the day before in conjunction with annual Free Fry-Day at JUMP. The Twilight Criterium partnered with Simplot and Idaho Central Credit Union to host the Twilight Trifecta: Criterium Kickoff on Friday from 4-8 p.m.
The kickoff will feature free french fries, sliders and live music.
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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