West Reading Criterium

A FREE PUBLIC SPORTING EVENT IN WEST READING

The Reading Radsport Festival continues on Saturday, August 3, with the West Reading Criterium. This exciting race will feature professional men and women, and amateur men, racing at speeds up to 40 miles per hour for multiple laps around a 0.8-mile course in West Reading.

Saturday, August 3rd - West Reading Criterium Schedule

Podium ceremonies will immediately follow each event.*
2:50pmCategory 3/4 Men (45-50min)
3:50pmKid's Race
4:00pmWheelie Competition
5:00pmWomen's Pro/1/2/3 Race (50-60min)
6:30pmMen's Pro/1/2 Race (65-75min)

Finish Line Festival

West Reading Community Redevelopment Foundation (WRCRF) has helped us put together an exciting festival at the finish line this year. Food trucks, beer tent, vendors, merchandise and a rad Kid’s Course (see below) will have you and the family hanging out all day in West Reading.

The whole family is welcome to jump on the Spintacular Roller Rink – another free activity for the day. The rink is 60′ x 40′ and suitable for all abilities.

Spintacular

FREE Kid’s Course

The Kid’s Course will be open from 3pm – 7pm. Kids 12 and younger are welcome to ride a kick-bike or pedal bike (training wheels are ok!) through the fun course. They can take as many laps as they would like. The course is free, and no sign-up is required. We will have a few kick-bikes and kids-sized helmets available on a first-come-first-serve basis but we recommend bringing your own if you have them!

Join us on the main racecourse at 3;50pm for the Kid’s Feature!

Amateur Men’s Prime Race

Amateur men will race at 2:50pm for primes, which was one of the fastest races of the season for this group. Primes (sometimes spelled preme, but it’s a mixture of the French word for “dibs” and Italian for “prize”) are intermediate sprints before the finish. Riders who cross the line after the bell has been rung for a prime are awarded a prize. In this case, $650 in cash will be divided into various dollar amounts of $100 to $25. There will also be prizes from our sponsor, Floyd’s of Leadville.

Wheelie and Combos Competition Finals

Our Wheelie and Combos competition is now presented by ABUS Helmets. Qualifications are now required to participate on the track for the finals at 4:00pm. Only the top 20 riders will make it to the finals. This thrilling exhibition of talent will show off their skills such as Cones, Swerves, 12s, Circles, and Duos. Helmets are required, and we have a limited number available for participants courtesy of ABUS. The top 6 riders will take home an ABUS Helmet and schwag from the Reading Radsport Festival and Team Skyline Bike.

Professional Women and Men

The professional women and men will cap off the night, sending athletes around five high-speed corners and a roundabout for their chance to win a portion of the $10,000 prize purse for both pro-women and men. The finish line will be just past 6th Street on Penn Ave, providing some of the course’s best spectating.

Course

The 0.8-mile climb is a fast but deceptive 5 corner criterium. Starting on Penn Ave and 6th street, the course heads through the main street restaurants and bars on an undulating straight away. Turn 1 is now a slightly uphill 90° right. The uphill continues through Turn 2 on Reading Ave back towards 7th Ave. Once the riders and runners get to 7th, it begins a descent into the roundabout on 5th for Turns 3 and 4. The transition to Tulpehocken Street is now more technical at a higher speed. A slight uphill into the final Turn 5 will slow riders a bit into a 60° turn but the finish line is now much closer to the final technical turn. Riders will have to jump early but not so early they run out of speed before the finish.

See the official route on Strava: https://www.strava.com/routes/13495971

Mt. Penn Hill Climb

Uphill Dash to the Pagoda

City Park Dirt Course

Hosted by and benefitting