Thousands of spectators line the streets of San Luis Obispo, cheering and clapping as sweat-drenched bike racers scream into turns at gravity-defying angles.
The third consecutive SLO Criterium Central Coast Cycling Classic, a bike race and festival, will take place from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 5. Over 600 racers are expected to compete for a portion of the $11,000 in prize money.
“The idea is to encourage downtown SLO to become a playground for the day. We want to get people who are not typically interested in bike races to come out and watch,” said Shaba Mohseni, the founder of Nimble Creative Events, the organization that puts on the race.
The SLO Criterium is not new to San Luis Obispo. It was started in the early 1970s by a group of impassioned cyclists looking to spread their love of the sport. The race had its years of glory in the mid 1980s, attracting many national champion and Olympian racers, according to Mohseni.
The SLO Criterium experienced a downtown, however, in the late 1980s and early 1990s due to discrepancies with the SLO Downtown Association and downtown SLO businesses, according to Mohseni.
“Last year I worked at a hair salon downtown and it really affected our business. Customers had appointments, but they couldn’t find parking and had to cancel, just because they were unaware of the event,” said Amber Bixler, an employee at Frog & Peach in downtown SLO. “I don’t think it will be detrimental to a bar though. It really depends on what you sell.”
While some businesses may experience a decrease in customers, places such as The Natural Café, a healthy, green-friendly restaurant and Sports Authority expect to be very busy.
“Last year it affected us positively. The Criterium helps us bring like-minded people who are into fitness and health into the store,” said Daniel Costales, the store manager at Sports Authority.
Besides the effect on downtown businesses, the SLO Downtown Association has been notoriously against the race primarily because of a lack of continuity with who was the director of the event.
“Nobody has a clear picture on why (the race stopped for a period of time), but downtown being closed down (to traffic) is definitely a contention. It’s very difficult to keep something going if the city isn’t behind it,” Mohseni said.
The city of San Luis Obispo, a separate entity from the SLO Downtown Association, ultimately having the final say that kept the event going in 2001.
After taking over for the Cal Poly Wheelmen, a Cal Poly cycling club, in 2007, Nimble Creative Events held SLO Criterium with great success, drawing over 6,000 people to downtown SLO each year to participate in and watch the race.
Nimble Creative Events was created by Mohseni, a Cal Poly graduate with a degree in business management and an undying love for bike racing. Concentrating on her passions, including music, art, bicycling, local issues, sustainability, and business, Mohensi created a company to fuse her interests and bringing positive, athletic experiences to the community.
The race route starts and ends on Garden and Higuera streets, moving clockwise on Higuera, Broad and Monterey streets and then going through Mission Plaza. The course then turns onto Osos Street and finishes with a right turn back onto Higuera.
competitors include bicyclists ranging from beginners to professionals. Riders from the New Zealand-inspired, professional women’s road cycling team based in North America, Jazz Apple Cycling, will be competing in the Women’s Pro/1/2/3 races, the most advanced women’s race, which begins at 3 p.m.
Other noteworthy racers, including Neil Shirley of Kelly Benefit Strategies, and 18-year old Danny Fineran of Team Rock Racing will also be competing in the Men’s Pro/1/2 race, the most advanced men’s race beginning at 4 p.m. Both racers have placed in top spots in past national races.
With over 600 racers competing, the small streets of San Luis Obispo offer a challenge to the competitors, yet the SLO Criterium has never seen any serious injuries as a result of the races. While there were a handful of gashes, minor crashes and some road rash in 2007 and 2008, there has never been any serious trauma, according to Mohseni.
“The Criterium is all about cornering. These racers are cutting corners at high speeds with sixty other riders right next to them. It’s all about keeping the pace and being able to react to what’s going on around you,” said Mohseni.
For those not participating in the races, four blocks of downtown SLO will offer live music, food and activities including “SLO’s Little 500,” Berzerker Block, Chorro Fairway Sports Expo, Kid’s Krit and Solstice Greenway.
“Even if you don’t know anything about coast cycling, you’ll still have a good time. Downtown SLO is so pretty with all the historic buildings and to combine that with bike racing is great. Every year we’ve been seeing more and more people come out,” said Adam Fukushima, Executive Director of the San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition.
“SLO’s Little 500,” a bike relay race for bikers of all abilities will be taking place starting at the corner of Morro St. and Higuera. Beginning at noon, teams of four will race through designated areas of downtown SLO, flaunting body and bike décor for extra team points. All proceeds of this event will go towards the Special Olympics.
Located on Morro Street in between Monterey and Higuera, Berzerker Block will offer people a spin on locally crafted off-road tricycles developed by Berserker Cycle Design and quadricycle go-karts created by Spider Bikes. Berserker Block will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For those who are athletically inclined, the Chorro Fairway Sports Expo, located on Chorro St. between Higuera and Monterey, will be having demos and selling products from local and regional bicycle vendors.
Children are also encouraged to get involved in the world of cycling with Kid’s Krit, starting at noon. For kids 12 and under, a modified loop on the actual racecourse will offer tomorrow’s great athletes a chance to experience the thrill of racing. All interested participants should meet at the bike valet at the corner of Morro and Higuera.
At the intersection of Higuera and Broad streets, Solstice Greenway, a strip of booths and activities promoting a holistic and sustainable way of life, will feature live music and a public beer and wine garden, the proceeds of which go toward the SLO Bicycle Coalition.
The SLO Criterium has become a greatly anticipated event in the community, attracting the likes of families, locals and people from all corners of the world and is expected to draw close to 10,000 people, according to Fukushima.
“After the event, I get all these amazing e-mails from racers and people in community saying, ‘We appreciate you putting on this event, it was so amazing and so much fun, I hope you’ll keep doing it in the years to come.’ Getting that positive reinforcement is what makes it all worth it. People make lasting memories through this event,” said Mohseni.
For a full weekend schedule, description of festivities, and racecourse map, visit http://www.cencalcycling.com.