Twilight Criterium 2012
Annual Street Race Hits the North Park Blocks
On Friday night hundreds of professional cyclists raced on a closed circuit around North Park Blocks in NW Portland as a part of Twilight Cr 2000 iterium. The start/finish line was on 8th between Everett and Davis, turn one was a right onto Couch, turn two another right onto Park, turn three a left onto Davis, turn four a right onto 9th, turn five another right onto Flanders, and the final turn a right back onto 8th to cross the start/finish line. The lap measured one-half mile, taking around a minute to complete each lap. With this many turns, and speeds of 30 mph reached by the competitors, the action was intense and dangerous as some of the nation’s best bike teams hit the streets in chase of the area’s largest purse of prize money.
Around four in the afternoon the evening’s activities kicked off with a police closure of the racecourse, and the opening of the Hopworks beer garden, also featuring a host of Portland food carts, and local music! Located conveniently inside the park, North Park Blocks featured phenomenal views of the racing action and the start/finish line. At five-thirty the beneficiaries of last night’s event, the Rose City Rollers took to the course to showcase their mean roller derby skills, showcasing some of the best roller derby in the country. At six-thirty the all-ages, all genders, category three race started, kicking off the night’s high intensity riding with a bang! At seven-thirty the pros in both categories one and two took the course, racing for an hour around the half-mile course to the delight of the some 15,000 people at the race.
In case you missed this year’s high-energy action, be sure to pay attention for next year, as the Twilight Criterium is an annual event, bring professional biking to this biker’s city.
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