By Steve Huffman
shuffman@salisburypost.com
About 300 bikers took to the streets of downtown Salisbury Thursday night.
Not to worry, it was a tame gathering.
With the exception of a collective “Whoosh!” that sounded each time the racers lapped the mile-long, figure-eight course, the racers were all but silent, their legs churning in unison, their bikes moving at speeds not typically seen on downtown streets.
The event was the Historic Salisbury Criterium, a series of bicycle races that stretched from 6 to 9 p.m.
Racers came, they saw, they conquered.
Well, they rode pretty fast, anyway.
“This is one of the best events we have,” said Neal Boyd, event organizer for the Salisbury Criterium, a part of the Giordana Crossroads Classic that includes five days of racing designed to attract professional and amateur cyclists from around the nation to the Piedmont.
On Wednesday, the Classic had been run in Concord. Tonight it moves to Statesville. A stage was also held in Mocksville.
Boyd said the 300 bikers who rode in Thursday’s four races represent the largest number to participate in the Salisbury Criterium. Thursday marked the seventh year the event has been staged here.
“The support from the city is tremendous,” Boyd said.
Proceeds from this year’s event, called “The Race to Protect Children,” go to Prevent Child Abuse Rowan. Boyd noted that a number of community leaders took part in supporting the criterium. He motioned in the direction of a tent where volunteers were cooking hamburgers and hot dogs.
“They’re the ones who make this the success it is,” Boyd said.
Both professional and amateur bikers raced. Charlie Brown, a Salisbury resident and one of the best bike racers in the Southeast, finished second in a masters race that featured riders at least 35 years of age. He missed taking first place by but a few inches in a sprint to the finish line.
Brown said he was pleased by the number of riders who participated in Thursday’s races, but even more pleased by spectator turnout.
Hundreds crowded the streets of downtown Salisbury to cheer their favorite riders, or simply holler as the racers streaked past in one big blur.
The evening’s weather couldn’t have been much better. It was relatively cool for a mid-summer night, and there was no threat of a shower or thunderstorm on the horizon.
Kathleen Carlisle brought her six children from Charlotte so they could cheer their father, Aaron, who rode on the Standard Pacific racing team. The Carlisle children range in age from 2 to 12. They cheered lustily whenever their father and his cohorts whizzed past, swearing they could make out the family patriarch from the other riders.
“We’ve had a great time,” Kathleen said of the family gathering. “Salisbury should be proud. They put on a nice ride here.”