Photos: Inside the inaugural Happy Valley Cycling State College Criterium

The inaugural Happy Valley Cycling State College Criterium took place in downtown State College on Saturday, and cyclists and spectators reveled in the unique event — even if they had to endure rain and overcast skies.

The closed-circuit course consisted of a 0.7-mile loop that ran from East Beaver Avenue to South Pugh Street to East Foster Avenue to South Garner Street. More than 150 cyclists took part in nine races over multiple categories, from high-level athletes competing for a state title to a “Fun Race” involving children as young as kindergarteners.

Unlike traditional road races, criterium racing is markedly shorter and often doesn’t even involve a fixed number of laps before the race. Instead, riders are given a specific window of time, such as 30 minutes, and cyclists are eliminated if they’re lapped by the leader. Once that time is up, organizers then give the remaining racers a set number of laps to complete, and the first one to cross the finish line wins. That setup tends to produce fast-paced races where cyclists are rewarded more for sprinting/technical ability than endurance.

The Cat 1/2/3 Elite Men winner was Andrew Wolfe (Bike Works p/b Fred Beans), while the Cat 1/2/3 Elite Women’s winner was Kimberly Stoveld (AUTOMATIC Racing). Other winners included Pearson Bruhns (Cat 3/4 Men: Zangi Bikes Racing), Emily Rothstein (Cat 4/5 Novice Women: VeloJawn Racing), Zachary Hojeibane (Cat 4/5 Novice Men: Watts & Whiskey), Steve Bedilion (Master Men 45+: Freddie Fu Cycling Team), Joseph Manacchio (Master Men 65+: Guy’s Racing Club), Frankie Ross (Master Men 55+: Sette Nove), Brandon Szuch (Jr. Men 15-16: 1), and Oliver Hill (Jr. Men 10-12:Kentucky Flyers Cycling Inc. - Texas Roadhouse Jr.).

Here’s a closer look at how it all went down: