Tour of the Gila is 5 stage iconic American bicycle race that is now known nationally and internationally based out of Silver City, New Mexico. The Saturday Criterium is a crowd pleaser and we headed downtown to check it out.
A criterium is a short closed course race, in this case it’s a mile comprised of four left hand turns around city streets (a big rectangle). We watched part of the women’s pro race, and then the men’s pro race and wow, this course really packed some speed. I raced the Cascade Cycling Classic 5 stage race in Bend back in 2004 and part of that included a downtown criterium but that course was almost pancake flat. This Silver City course had a punchy climb each lap followed by a downhill where they got flying.
Here are a couple pictures from the day.
If it loads for you, here is a short video of the men as they passed on the flat section.
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