Tacoma Twilight Criterium 2012 Moved to Proctor
For those of you who were fans of the Twilight Criterium the last two years, the action will be back this summer, although not in downtown Tacoma. This year they’re moving to the Proctor District. On June 30th, one mile of roads around Proctor will be closed down for the race, where riders do very fast, very tightly packed laps around the circuit.
According to an article this morning in The News Tribune, the decision to move the race came in large part out of tensions between some downtown businesses and race organizers. According to the TNT, Criterium organizers feel that Proctor-area businesses are more welcoming to the event. The article also cites the width of downtown streets as another consideration in moving the event to the narrower neighborhood streets around Proctor.
We’re looking forward to having the Criterium back in Tacoma again this year, although it will have a somewhat different feel in its new location. What do you think – do you expect Proctor to be an even better venue? Or when you’re whizzing by on your bike at 30 mph, is it all just a blur anyway?
Read more from The News Tribune
6 comments
R rainlover April 20, 2012
When we attended this event downtown, we were surprised at how few businesses were opened to take advantage of the “feet on the street”, but then we thing that about many of the events that take place downtown on weekends. I would think the businesses would track events and put someone one for the event hours.
T tacoma_1 April 20, 2012
This should be fun in Proctor.
J jd April 21, 2012
The Proctor District will be a fantastic host for this event! It’s a great walkable neighborhood with a true sense of what it means to be a community.
Unfortunately, the problem with the downtown venue wasn’t scheduling, or ignorance about the event. They quite simply didn’t want the inconvenience of having several hundred (15,000 attend the race in Boise!) potential customers wandering around with nothing to do between races but shop and eat. I can only imagine what a nightmare that would be for a business.
C Christine April 21, 2012
I went last year and it was so cool to watch. The bikes flew by, they were way faster than I could hope to go on a flat course, I only hit speeds like that downhill. It was too bad that downtown was a virtual dead zone. There were a few places open, but you all know how downtown is; restaurants and stores are widely spaced and hard to find.
It is going to be maximized in Proctor and the stores, restaurants and such will reap the $$$ from all the spectators. I think there will be even more spectators just because there are things to do in that area and there are a ton of built-in spectators from all the houses surrounding the area.
B Buck Futz April 22, 2012
Any idea as to what the route will be? 3 mile loop isn’t it?
E erik April 26, 2012
i know now where im taking my business too and attention.