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Helmets and Spandex and Bikes – oh my!
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Though Boise is not home to any professional sports teams, the city does provide sports enthusiasts with an array of sporting events to satisfy ones hunger and keep there adrenaline going throughout the year.
One of those events is The Wells Fargo Twilight Criterium bicycle race that was held in downtown Boise, Saturday, July 21.
Now, I admit that I have never actually been to a bike race before this one, so I wasn’t too sure what to expect when I ventured downtown late Saturday afternoon.
First, when I arrived downtown it was a bit of a task at hand to find a parking spot to go and watch this event. I wasn’t expecting this many die-hard fans to be out watching cycling. After walking a few blocks to Main Street, I hit the action. From left to right there were fans lined up on the sidewalks, numerous sponsored tents and various racers getting themselves prepared for there upcoming race.
There was about 10 minutes before the first race [the beginners race] began so I walked around a bit and picked up a few freebees from various sponsors. After that I spotted a racer off to the side who was doing some final preparations to get ready, so I went over and talked to him a bit.
“This will be my first Twilight Criterium I’ll be racing in,” Engin Yesilyemis said. “This is a great race because it’s local, but also because it’s nationally know.”
Yesilyemis told me later that he’s been racing for about seven years. He admitted he was a little nervous.
“I want to win,” he said with a smile.
He explained a little bit about his race and that the racers biked for about 45 minutes then basically duked it out for the last three laps.
We talked for a bit more then I wished him good luck and went off to watch the beginners’ race that had just begun.
I continued watching the race and walking a bit further down the sidewalk and started talking to a racer who was from Coeur D’ Alene. He introduced himself as Shan Christen and seemed enthusiastic just to be there.
“This race is awesome,” Christen explained. “I love it down here in Boise. I’ve seen about one in three people down here with they’re bikes and just having a good time.”
Shan’s statement was right on target because I noticed that at the race there was a bunch of little kids with oversized helmets and training wheels riding along with their parents and numerous individuals perusing by on their stylish cruisers. Christen also was in Cat. 3 for the race. He explained to me that the difference between the Categories.
“Cat. 5 and 4 are usually beginners. The lower you go in number the more experienced you are,” Christen said.
He said that you have to collect a certain amount of points in races to qualify for different Cats. Christen said he would like to win, but would also be happy for a top-10 finish.
“I just want to go out and race well,” Christen said. “This is my second year doing the
Twilight and it’s great because it’s a national race.”
I wasn’t able to stick around for the all of the different races. I didn’t get to see Olympian Kristin Armstrong race [she took second in the women's] or see some of the little kids race, but I did get to see my first official bicycle race. Things seemed pretty intense when about 10 riders came around a corner and all of them collided in one big spandex mess. Only one rider was actually hurt from the crash, but it did make my experience feel more complete as I left.
Brad Arendt