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Tampa Enjoys A Day At Races

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By ADAM EMERSON

aemerson@tampatrib.com

Published: March 22, 2009

The races were not for the easily winded.

Consider a bike sprint over seven-tenths of a mile through downtown Tampa streets - over and over.
Sharon Smith did. A recreational bicyclist at 48, the Jacksonville resident entered the inaugural Tampa Twilight Criterium on Saturday at the urging of friends who race frequently.

A criterium is no afternoon stroll. It runs over a course with fast turns over paved and brick roads, with Lykes Gaslight Square as a centerpiece. The pack of racers starts out dense. The winner is the first rider to finish without being lapped.

But the Tampa Downtown Partnership wanted to bring the amateur and the avid racer together.

Smith borrowed a racing jersey and spent the past week avoiding alcohol, warming up and stretching. At her request, she entered a race with men and women.

She won first place, and has the medal to show for it.

Asked to explain her feat, Smith said, "I have no idea."

The races went on all day and night, featuring various skill levels and drawing racers from as near as Pinellas County and as far as Pennsylvania.
Race promoter Keri Burns said the pros were drawn to an unusual night race through city streets.

"But we wanted any kind of cyclist," Burns said.

The event also featured a festival at the square, which hosted helmet giveaways, instruction, bike safety checks and a bicycle rodeo.

Reporter Adam Emerson can be reached at (813) 259-8285.

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