The Portsmouth Criterium

It's September now, and in Portsmouth, that means the Portsmouth Criterium, on Sunday September 21st. The local bars have the Portsmouth Criterium 2008 pint glasses already. One thing to be aware of though is that you have to be quick if you want to steal one. I tried to steal one by pounding the water that was in it as fast as I could and tossing it in my messenger bag but the waitress came over and refilled it before I got a chance. I had to pound the next pint even quicker to get the glass before she came around again. Obviously this would put one in risk of hyponatremia. I felt a little faded but I was okay.

Yea. Point being, The Portsmouth Criterium is coming. As a category five I'm not eligible, but I'll definitely be there to watch. The Portsmouth Criterium is the big one--last year the streets were absolutely packed with spectators; in terms of fan turn-out, it's definitely the biggest race I've seen so far. There's something like 7,000 people that come out to watch. It looks like the Portsmouth Herald had an article about it, too. Don't read it though--it will only make you depressed. Someone who doesn't ride a bike explaining bike racing to someone else that doesn't ride a bike, is how it reads. Anyway, it's the biggest race in northern New England, and Portsmouth is lucky to have it.

There is one thing though: the Portsmouth Criterium needs volunteers. Aside from the sponsors, organizers, officials, and of course the racers, without volunteers, there is no race. We need something like 100 volunteers total for tasks such as:

• Road Marshaling
• Course set-up and break-down
• Loading and unloading hay bales
• Hanging no-parking signs on meters (48 hours before the event)
• Directing parking
• Children’s Race
• VIP Tent
• Volunteer Check-In
• Various Administrative Tasks

If you might be interested in volunteering, send an email over to Melissa Greiner, volunteer@portsmouthcrit.com and for additional information see the Portsmouth Criterium Volunteer thing.