Monday, August 22, 2011

2011 Grant Park Criterium

Susan and I packed up the car with a cooler with cold bottles of water and two folding chairs.  It was going to be hot and I had to work later in the day.  We were headed to Grant Park in Atlanta to watch the Grant Park Criterium on Sunday, August 21st, 2011.

We arrived at Grant Park and parked the car in the first space we found available.  That was a big mistake.  We parked somewhere off of Cherokee Ave near the Atlanta Zoo entrance.  This just happened to be on the opposite side of the park and a long walk to the race course.  The walk felt especially long since we were hauling heavy chairs and a cooler.  We eventually setup camp near the start/finish line and shortly thereafter met up with our friends at around 11am.

The races started at 10am with the beginner women's race and ends at 7pm with the finish of the men's pro race.  We couldn't stay for all the races but we did get to see two fellow Southern Crescent Cycling club riders compete.  Modesto (Junior) Diaz and Roland Grimm competed in the Cat 4/5 Men's race which started at 1:30pm.  It was a 35 minute race.  Both Junior and Roland put forth very respectable efforts.  A third Southern Crescent Cycling rider, Charles Seward didn't start his Masters race until 2:15pm.  I was already late for work so we didn't get to see him compete.

Race Schedule
10:00 AM - Beginner Women *         1:30 PM - Cat 4/5 Men
10:30 AM - Junior A/B                      2:15 PM - Master 35+/45+
11:00 AM - Cat 3/4 Women              3:15 PM - Cat 3 Men
11:45 AM - Beginner Men *              4:30 PM - Cat 1/2/3 Women
12:15 PM - Kids Race                       6:00 PM - Pro 1/2 Men
12:30 PM - Aarons Employee Race
 * Beginner races do not require a license and are *not* sanctioned by USAC.

The course is in and around Grant Park in Atlanta, Georgia.  Riders start and finish the counter-clockwise course on Park Avenue SE on the eastern border of the park.  Grant Park was established in 1882 and is a 144-acre property which features the Atlanta Zoo and the Cyclorama.  The event benefited the Grant Park Conservancy and the Grant Park Neighborhood Association (GPNA).

I took the opportunity to take a few pictures of the racers and spectators.
2011 Grant Park Criterium

Thanks for reading.