EV and I made a point of getting to Boise in time for the annual Boise Criterium. For all you non-cycling fans, a criterium is a road cycling race that takes place on a closed circuit, usually in a city, where the race consists of several laps. Crashes are common and because the riders pass several times, it makes for a more interesting spectator experience. After a very nice birthday dinner for Mom, we headed out to catch the pro event.
Downtown Boise is pretty impressive for a town it's size. The buildings have character, there are interesting looking shops, and it's overall ambience is inviting.
We arrived shortly after the race began and picked up some very effective "clickers" from one of the booths near the parcours. Traditionally, at least in Europe, fans equip themselves with cow bells to ring as the riders pass. The more economical approach here is the little plastic devices with a small piece of metal.
Mister P and Sijbrich found a great location for us to watch the race where there were fewer people and you could watch the riders make their way around corner number four. We learned from one of the seasoned fans near us that they corner at up to 30 miles per hour:


I found it interesting that last year's winner rode at the back of the pack. I assume his strategy was to conserve energy while his team ensured that he could work his way to the front in the later laps. Alas, EV and I ran out of energy given our 5 hour drive and other activities earlier in the day and left before the race ended. But I looked in the paper the next day for the results and learned that a different rider won. Last year's winner may need some strategic fine-tuning.