Guest Column: Annual Bike Race Around Memorial Park Raises Money For Albany Schools

On July 18, the annual Albany Criterium roared into town with a full day of fast-paced bicycle racing around Memorial Park.

A "criterium," or "crit race," is a short, timed sprint race on a closed course. Races are normally around 40 minutes long, and favor riders who can maintain a very high level of intensity for the full race and still have enough juice left to sprint at the end.

The Albany Criterium has been put on by the Berkeley Bicycle Club for nearly a decade. This year, the race attracted 565 racers who participated in 12 different races, including two races for women, one for juniors and two for kids.

I live in Albany and am one of the promoters of the race. This year, we had a great turn-out. Kids' races in particular were a lot of fun. All the kids got prizes.

Racers are categorized as ranging from Category 5 (beginners) up to very experienced riders in categories 1 and 2, with even a few pros showing up to try their skills around the challenging race course.

"This race really favors strong riders," said Berkeley Bicycle Club race director Dylan McReynolds. "It's got an uphill section and a fast downhill finish."

Not all racers finished, unfortunately. There were a number of crashes, with most resulting in scrapes and bruises. One rider broke his collarbone, but he was able to take himself to the hospital.

The races are put on with 100 percent volunteer labor, and the proceeds are donated to SchoolCARE to support Albany schools. The final results are not yet available for 2010, the event usually generates about $1,000 for the schools.

It's a great race and a good chance for the community to come out and have some fun watching. Next year, it would be great to get even more community organizations involved.