Cash prizes for amateurs at San Jose Cycling Classic Criterium

Thanks to a contribution from Click Safety, the Criterium built by WEBCOR will include a total of $2,000 in cash prizes for amateur riders. The Criterium built by WEBCOR, held during the San Jose Cycling Classic at 8 a.m., Saturday, February 14, also includes $5,000 for top male professionals and $5,000 for top female professionals.

The Criterium will start at Park Avenue/Market Street/South Almaden Blvd. Packet pick-up begins at 7 a.m., San Jose City Hall Wing, Rooms 118-120, 200 East Santa Clara Street.

To be staged in downtown San Jose with the Plaza de Cesar Chavez as the event’s main backdrop, The Criterium built by WEBCOR, a first to be produced by the City, will provide a day of racing for both amateur and professional riders who will test their abilities to corner rapidly and sharply—and ride to win within a large group on a short circuit.

“The Criterium will be an exciting addition to our Downtown, offering both athletes and fans a great opportunity to be a part of an intense, action-filled event,” said Mayor Chuck Reed. “We are pleased that WEBCOR has joined with the City to help bring both professional and amateur cycling in San Jose.”

Marked by high speeds, short courses, multiple laps, tight turns, and side-by-side racing, a criterium, or “crit,” is one of the more exciting spectator events in cycling. The .86 mile urban downtown “track” will feature these elements as well as cash and prizes, including $5,000 for top male professionals and $5,000 for top female professionals.

According to Andy Ball, president and CEO of WEBCOR, his company continues to be a strong advocate of cycling as a professional sport as well as an accessible form of transportation and leisure for all.

“Webcor has been a longtime advocate and supporter of cycling,” said Andy Ball. “We have been active with the Webcor/Alto Velo Club and the Webcor Women’s Professional Racing Team for more than eight years. We have partnered with the City of San Jose and the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition to advocate for bicycle safety and promote cycling as a viable mode of transportation with Bike to Work Day. The benefits are better fitness, reduced congestion, and the development of environmentally responsible green practices. We are pleased to partner once again with the City of San Jose in the Downtown Criterium built by Webcor, which further demonstrates that San Jose is the most cycling progressive city in the U.S.A.”

The Criterium built by WEBCOR is the first cycling criterium ever to be produced by San Jose in the City’s 232-year history and further complements San Jose’s long cycling legacy. One of the first pedal bicycles was invented in San Jose and the City’s first bicycle club was formed in 1884. In addition, the City is home to one of only 19 operational velodromes in the United States and was recently recognized by the League of American Bicyclists with the National Bicycle Friendly Community Award.

To register for The Criterium built by WEBCOR, visit www.sanjosecyclingclassic.com.
The Criterium built by WEBCOR map is available at http://sanjoseclassic.com/downloads/CritMap.pdf

Produced in anticipation of the upcoming Amgen Tour of California, the San Jose Cycling Classic will be held February 14-21, 2009 throughout San Jose. This is multi-pronged event encompassing professional, amateur and community cycling activities, including the King of the Mountain Time Trail Race and Ride sponsored by Mattson Technology, the CEO Challenge powered by SunPower and The Criterium built by WEBCOR. Other activities include a Cycling Film Night, a GET BACKON YOUR BIKE! presentation and BIKE SHOW: A Celebration Of Cycle Art & Culture art exhibition. It is expected to attract more than 1,000 cycling athletes, 20,000 spectators and cycling-related exhibitors.

Funds raised from The Criterium built by WEBCOR and all San Jose Cycling Classic events will support health, fitness and cycling. Beneficiaries include the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training, the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, and Fit for Learning, an initiative—provided by the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) in cooperation with Healthy Silicon Valley—that will increase physical activity and encourage healthy nutrition among elementary school students in Santa Clara County. In addition, the San Jose Cycling Classic provides a platform to raise awareness about green mobility and the San Jose Green Vision.

For more information about the San Jose Cycling Classic, please visit, www.sanjosecyclingclassic.com.

This scheduling really puts me in a bind! The Tour of California -- where Lance Armstrong makes his USA professional racing return -- starts the SAME DAY in Sacramento. I'd like to support the local cyclists, but I also really really want to cover the Tour of California and there's only one of me. What to do?