POULSBO — As cyclists raced past Nordic storefronts on narrow downtown Front Street, spectators sipped coffee drinks from sidewalk tables or enjoyed tapas in an outdoor dining area set up in front of Burrata Bistro.
This could have been a European city. But this was a Saturday afternoon in Poulsbo, and the event was the Poulsbo Twilight Criterium, June 3. As described by Wikipedia, a criterium is a bike race “consisting of several laps around a closed circuit, the length of each lap or circuit ranging from about 500 m to 1000 m … The winner is the first rider to cross the finish line without having been ‘lapped.’ “
Vehicle traffic was detoured away from the race area; the course was Front Street to 3rd Avenue to Iverson Street to Jensen Way to Front Street. Spectators lined the streets. Sidewalks weren’t crowded and some merchants reported nothing out of the ordinary in terms of number of store visitors, but the flow of visitors was steady all afternoon, and the excitement and vibe were memorable — and will likely bring visitors back to the Viking City.
Cyclists race down Jensen Way to Front Street in the Poulsbo Twilight Criterium, June 3 in downtown Poulsbo. (Richard Walker/Kitsap News Group)
As cyclists raced past Nordic storefronts on narrow downtown Front Street, spectators sipped coffee drinks from sidewalk tables or enjoyed tapas in an outdoor dining area set up in front of Burrata Bistro. This could have been a European city. But this was a Saturday afternoon in Poulsbo, and the event was the Poulsbo Twilight Criterium. (Richard Walker/Kitsap News Group)
Spectators cheer the cyclists in the Poulsbo Twilight Criterium, June 3 in downtown Poulsbo. (Richard Walker/Kitsap News Group)
A shopper checks out a reproduction of an antique cycling sign outside a downtown Poulsbo antique shop June 3 during the Poulsbo Twilight Criterium. (Richard Walker/Kitsap News Group)
Kate at Liberty Bay Books watches the Poulsbo Twilight Criterium from inside the store, June 3. (Richard Walker/Kitsap News Group)
The Crit may be over, but there are more interesting things to see and do downtown. Here’s a list of author appearances coming up at Liberty Bay Books. (Richard Walker/Kitsap News Group)
The Crit may be over, but there are more interesting things to see and do downtown. This table at That’s A Some Italian remembers presidential son-turned-lawyer-turned-publisher John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Carolyn’s visit in the mid-1990s. (Richard Walker/Kitsap News Group)
