The Snake Alley Criterium is a criterium cycling race that takes place annually on Memorial Day weekend in Burlington, Iowa. The bike race is most famous for riding up Snake Alley, which was named by Ripley's Believe It Or Not as the crookedest alley in the world. The Snake Alley portion of the race includes a 60-foot (18 m) ascent on the 276-foot-long (84 m) alley and includes five major turns.

Snake Alley Criterium
Race details
DateMay
RegionBurlington, Iowa
DisciplineRoad
CompetitionNational calendar
TypeCriterium
OrganiserBike Burlington
Race directorKim Hunsaker
Web sitesnakealleycriterium.com
History
First edition1983 (1983)
Editions39 (as of 2023)
First winner Jeff Bradley (USA)
Most wins Jason McCartney (USA) (3 wins)
Most recent Cade Bickmore (USA)
History (women)
First winner Liz Heller (USA)
Most wins
(3 wins)
Most recent Rylee Mcmullen (USA)

This race has been said to be one of the most challenging bicycle races in the Midwest. A national cycling magazine has named the Snake Alley Criterium to be the fifth best criterium in the nation. The race spans over two days, and many of the downtown streets are closed to traffic. The course spans over 15 city blocks. Throughout the course the elevation ranges between 555 feet (169 m) and 678 feet (207 m).

Competitors may include anyone from the age of ten to senior citizens. These age groups however, do not all race in the same event. The Criterium is open to men and women both of which compete in separate races. Prizes vary between $50 for Juniors to $10,000 for the Pro's. Each race has a maximum number of competitors; the smallest group being 50, the largest being 150. The Junior group rides the fewest laps (four), and the Pro group rides the most laps which is a total of twenty-five. The entry fees are different for each group. The Juniors pay the least amount of money, fifteen dollars, and the Pros pay the most with forty-five. As with any credible bike race, proper safety equipment must be worn at all times.

Winners

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Year Winner Second Third
1983   Jeff Bradley
1984   Eon D'Ornellas
1985   Mike King
1986   Robert Mathias
1987   Robert Mionsk
1988   Hajo Drees
1989   Hajo Drees
1990   Chris Washkevich
1991   Troy Miller
1992   Tommy Matush
1993   John Peters
1994   Timm Peddie
1995   John Durso
1996   Steve Tilford
1997   Todd Littlehales
1998   Matthew Kelly
1999   Marc Kebbekus
2000   Steven Cate
2001[1]   Jason McCartney   John Lieswyn   Steve Tilford
2002[2]   John Lieswyn   Steven Cate   Doug Swanson
2003[3]   Jason McCartney   John Lieswyn   Steven Cate
2004[4]   Jason McCartney   Adam Bergman   Garrett Peltonen [de]
2005   Steve Tilford   Brian Jensen   Ben Raby
2006[5]   Sean Sullivan [de]   Chris Wherry   Reid Mumford [de]
2007[6]   Adam Bergman   Brian Jensen   Brian Dziewa
2008   Duane Dickey   Brian Jensen   Bryce Mead
2009   Adam Bergman   Paul Martin   Frank Dierking
2010[7]   Volodymyr Starchyk   Tristan Schouten [de]   Eric Marcotte
2011   Chad Burdzilauskas   Eric Marcotte   Juan Pablo Dotti
2012[8]   Paul Martin   Ryan Aitcheson   Alex Vanias
2013[9]   Adam Leibovitz   Colton Barrett   Daniel Holt
2014[10]   Daniel Holloway   Toms Skujinš   Alexander Ray
2015[11]   Chris Uberti   Chris Winn   Logan Owen
2016[12]   Matthew Zimmer   Chris Winn   Joshua Johnson
2017[13]   Ryan Aitcheson   Thomas Brown   Peter Olejniczak
2018[14]   Daniel Summerhill   Sam Fritz   Peter Olejniczak
2019[15]   Daniel Summerhill   Kyle Perry   Samuel Janisch
2020-2021 Cancelled
2022   Andrew Dillman   Cade Bickmore   Conor White

Élites Femmes

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Year Winner Second Third
1988   Liz Heller
1989   Sonja Stilp
1990   Liz Heller
1991   Tracey Lamers
1992   Sue Swenson
1993   Deirdre Demet
1994   Karen Dunne
1995   Elaine Nekritz
1996   Cynthia Mommsen
1997   Bonnie Breeze
1998   Debre Pilger
1999   Andrea Bowman
2000   Cynthia Mommsen
2001[1]   Catherine Walberg   Christine Miller   Cynthia Mommsen
2002[2]   Magen Long   Kerry Soraci   Christine Miller
2003[3]   Magen Long   Tania Duff-Miller   Jo Kiesanowski
2004[4]   Magen Long   Rebecca Much   Elizabeth Morse
2005   Sarah Tillotson
2006[5]   Kristin Wentworth   Molly Vetter-Smith   Katie Weber
2007[6]   Kristin Wentworth   Mindi Martin   Anne Grabowski
2008   Samantha Schneider
2009   Amanda Miller
2010[7]   Amanda Miller   Lisa Vetterlein   Ashley James
2011   Amanda Miller
2012[8]   Kaitlin Antonneau   Jeannie Kuhajek   Emma Bast
2013[9]   Kim Eppen   Mia Manganello   Katherine Shields
2014[10]   Lisa Vetterlein   Abby Ruess   Amber Markey
2015[11]   Chloé Dygert   Mary Penta   Gwen Inglis
2016[12]   Abby Ruess   Gwen Inglis   Leah Kleager
2017[13]   Lily Williams   Jeannie Kuhajek   Amanda Miller
2018[14]   Faith Montreuil   Carlyn Jackson   Cassidy Hickey
2019[15]   Gwen Inglis   Carlyn Jackson   Kaitlyn Agnew
2020-2021 Cancelled
2022   Maddy Ward   Peta Mullens   Rylee McMullen

References

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  1. ^ a b "Snake Alley Criterium 2001". autobus.cyclingnews.com..
  2. ^ a b "Snake Alley Criterium 2002". autobus.cyclingnews.com..
  3. ^ a b "Snake Alley Criterium 2003". autobus.cyclingnews.com. 24 May 2003..
  4. ^ a b Mark Zalewski (30 May 2004). "Snake Alley Criterium - NE 2004". autobus.cyclingnews.com..
  5. ^ a b "Snake Alley Criterium - NE 2006". autobus.cyclingnews.com. 27 May 2006..
  6. ^ a b "Snake Alley Criterium, Illinois - May 28, 2007". autobus.cyclingnews.com. 28 May 2007..
  7. ^ a b "Starchyk, Miller Win Snake Alley Criterium". podiuminsight.com. 29 May 2010. Retrieved 2024-02-11..
  8. ^ a b "Snake Alley Criterium • May 26 2012". road-results.com..
  9. ^ a b "Snake Alley Criterium • May 25 2013". road-results.com..
  10. ^ a b "Snake Alley Criterium • May 24 2014". road-results.com..
  11. ^ a b "Snake Alley Criterium • May 23 2015". road-results.com..
  12. ^ a b "Snake Alley Criterium • May 28 2016". road-results.com..
  13. ^ a b "Snake Alley Criterium • May 27 2017". road-results.com..
  14. ^ a b "Snake Alley Criterium • May 26 2018". road-results.com..
  15. ^ a b "Snake Alley Criterium • May 25 2019". road-results.com..
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