By Jeff Dennis
The tradition of pro cycling in downtown Walterboro circled back around for the 18th time, after skipping a year in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The event was held on August 25, 2021, with the day of racing beginning at 4 p.m. and continuing until dark. The USA CRITS organization puts together the Race Week schedule each year, connecting the dots between cities in order to facilitate the racers travel schedule.
The August 25th cycling event in Walterboro was one stop in a several leg cycling tour, which included stops in Spartanburg, Athens and Atlanta. Once Walterboro’s competition ended, the cyclists were headed to three more events in Georgia at Lagrange, Hapeville and College Park. All the races have daily prizes for Amateur and Professional categories.
The Men’s Masters Races that begin at 4 p.m. are for the amateurs, and while they are racing many of the pro women and men can be seen riding around warming up.
With temps in the 90’s and typically hot weather of August, hydrating was imperative for these visiting riders. A part of the Criterium Race each year is the social scene, and that begins to develop around the Children’s Race that begins at 6 p.m.
Stacey Price is an avid recreational cyclist and is the long-time coordinator for the youth race. She taps Colleton students to volunteer in the sign-up by the waterfall, right beside the starting line for the Kids Race.
The Pro Women’s Race began at 6:15 p.m., followed by the pro Men’s Race, which began at 7:20 p.m.
For a list of winners, see additional Criterium coverage on the Sports pages of this issue of The Press and Standard.
