St. Pete is getting its own ‘Orange Belt’ criterium bicycle race next month

Tampa’s gone-but-not-forgotten downtown criterium bicycle race was one of the most exciting sporting events in the Bay area, and now St. Petersburg is getting a crit of its own.

Today, the Orange Belt Cycling Series announced that its “Crit Championship Tour” (stylized “CRIT”) will stage a race in St. Petersburg’s Edge District on Saturday, Oct. 21.

A press release says that the tour was launched by pro cyclist Justin Williams, who also founded Los Angeles’ L39ion team. Today, Made Coffee Founder Michael Rideout told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that he and Green Bench co-owner Nathan Stonecipher are also involved in the Orange Belt project.

Rideout said that he’s been working on Orange Belt for two years, while Stonecipher added that he’s excited about showcasing St. Petersburg’s bicycle culture and city streets. A press release promises "a festival atmosphere with food, drinks, live
music, a skate expo, and more."

For the uninitiated, a criterium is a circuit, street race consisting of several laps on a loop that can be anywhere from about a quarter-mile to about six smiles. Crit bikes are different from traditional road race bikes seen in a race like the Tour de France in that they’re built to take extremely sharp turns and accelerate at fast paces.

"I’m trying to tell people to think of a criterium like Nascar," Rideout said. He added that there are two cycling events happening as part of the Orange Belt event next month. One is "The Fundo," whose name is a play on the word "Fondo" or "big ride."

"It's not a race," Rideout said. "Consider it a community group ride that will include breakfast, custom gift bags, photos, and Green Bench brews post-ride." St. Pete's Orange Belt criterium will be in the Edge District between 11th and 15th Streets, according to rideout.

Racing starts at 1:45 p.m. and is broken down into amatuer and pro categories.

The Professional event is the "Crit Championship Tour," featuring both a professional women's race and a men's race.

Amateur racing will be called the "Orange Belt Cycling Series" and will feature the kids ride (ages 1-12), a junior open (ages 15-18), plus mens and womens open categories, mens and womens fixed gear open, and a mens open masters race.

General admission viewing for the Orange Belt Series “Crit Championship Tour” in St. Petersburg’s Edge District on Saturday, Oct. 21 is free, with reserved viewing options and VIP packages on sale for $35-$99. Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.

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