SCHEDULE: Fidelity Investments Gran Prix of Beverly
GP Beverly Kids Activities
• Registration for Kids races & parade: 4:30-5:15pm on Beverly Common
• Kids races: 5:30-6:00pm ages 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 race on grass on Beverly Common
• Kids Parade: 6:00pm ride the adult race course with top pro riders!
Fidelity Investments Gran Prix of Beverly
Start/Finish line on Cabot Street
• Amateur Men 4:30pm
• Masters 35+ Men 5:20pm
• Elite Men State Championship Race 6:35pm
Ride Your Bike to the Gran Prix of Beverly
Experience the Excitement of Pro/Am Cycling in Downtown Beverly
Receive Free, Safe Valet Bike Parking While You Enjoy the Races at 1st Baptist Church, 221 Cabot Street
Receive a Free Entry to Post-Race Raffle for an *Adult or Kid’s Bike!
Gran Prix of Beverly 08/13/09 from Mark Lovett on Vimeo.
What is the Gran Prix of Beverly?
The Gran Prix of Beverly is a criterium, or crit, a bike race held on a short course (usually less than 5 km), often run on closed-off city centre streets.
Race length can be determined by a total time or a number of laps, in which case the number of remaining laps is calculated as the race progresses. Generally the event's duration (commonly one hour) is shorter than that of a traditional road race — which can last many hours, sometimes over the course of several days or even weeks, as in a Grand Tour. However, the average speed and intensity are appreciably higher. The winner is the first rider to cross the finish line.
Events often have prizes (called primes, pronounced "preems", and are usually cash) for winning specific intermediate laps (for instance, every 10th lap). A bell is usually rung to announce to the riders that whoever wins the next lap, wins the prime. Success in road criteriums requires a mix of good technical skills — in particular, the ability to corner smoothly, while "holding your line" on the road, as well as rapidly and sharply — and riding safely with a large group on a short circuit and exceptional "sprint" ability to attack other riders and repeatedly accelerate hard from corners.
